Curt's Health

Dear Friends,

Curt has been experiencing muscle twitching throughout his body along with weakness in his left arm and hand since June. We have been visiting doctors and testing with a neurologist since July, trying to figure out what is wrong. Last Wednesday, Curt was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The twitching and weakness is caused when the nerve cells that control muscle movement die. His left arm is very weak and the muscle has atrophied. He is beginning to have problems walking. This process will continue throughout his arms, legs, and body, finally the muscles that help him breathe will die. There is no treatment and no cure. He is taking the one and only medicine available for ALS which prolongs life 3-6 months. Life expetancy is 2-5 years. The cause is unknown.

We told the kids tonight. We are all in a lot of pain. Corbin has not asked about the end result yet. At this time he is picturing his dad in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. We will tell him when he asks. Clarissa and Cayden know everything. We told the kids to feel free to talk about it, don't keep it in. It is good to talk, cry and even laugh. At the moment, Corbin is sitting on the couch looking at his photo album with Curt, crying and then laughing. Clarissa and Cayden are at church. We told them they could count on our friends for support.

Please pray for Curt that he doesn't suffer, pray for our kids, pray for a miracle. There is a very small percentage of people that go into remission.

We love you all and are so thankful you are in our lives.

Love,

Cindy Ziemke