~ This page is dedicated to my adored son and also my friend that I am so proud of and love so much ~





Ron was my first born - born on February 5, 1967. He had brown hair and blue eyes, just like me. He was bubbly and adorable. He was the joy of my life!

I was 21 when Ron was born. He was all I thought about for the entire nine months of my pregnancy. And when he arrived; ten little fingers, ten little toes and no outward signs of anything abnormal. Actually, he was beautiful.

From birth to the age of 27, life was as normal for Ron as any other person. As a young child, he rode a big wheel, participated in scouts, served as an altar boy during church services, played in sports, and he was an excellent student. There wasn't anything in the world that held him down.

Soon after his graduation from high school, Ron began to develop his career in architecture and developed his own business in home design and building. He met a wonderful young lady, was married and gave us two beautiful granddaughters.

What I am about to tell you has broke my heart:

In the spring of 1994, at the age of 27, Ron began to experience uncontrollable tremors and twitching in his left arm. After many doctor visits and special tests, including an MRI, all tests appeared to be normal. The doctors attributed his discomforts resulted from an injury or a pinched nerve. But through the persistence of one of his physicians, he was referred to a group of physicians specializing in neurology for further testing.

After many testing procedures, we were told that Ron had been stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and that his life expectancy was now only two to four years. We were also told that there was nothing we could do. There was no cure!

Since that time we have watched Ron's body steadily shrink away, but watched his attitude and spirit grow. He still remains the beautiful son that we have always loved so dearly, and continue to bless and thank God for each and every day that we still have more time to share with him.

You can't imagine what it's like to watch your child's body degenerate, but you also can't imagine God's faithfulness through it all. Yes, we do believe that God could touch and Ron's body would be whole and healthy again, and I would be spared the grief of soon losing my son. He knows how deep my hurt will be and the years I will grieve! I know God understands!

I am so thankful to be Ron's mom. His life has enriched mine, and I would go through this all over again and cherish every moment.

Please, may I ask all my visitors to say a prayer for Ron.

Thank You










WHAT IS LOU GEHRIG'S DISEASE






DESCRIPTION:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurological disease. ALS occurs when specific nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement degenerate. The loss of these motor neurons causes the muscles under their control to weaken and waste away, leading to paralysis.




SYMPTOMS:

Symptoms may include tripping and falling, loss of motor control in hands and arms, difficulty speaking, swallowing and/or breathing, and twitching and cramping, sometimes quite severely.




TREATMENT:

There is no cure for ALS; nor is there a proven therapy that will prevent or reverse this disorder.




PROGNOSIS:

ALS is usually fatal within five years after diagnosis.




FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The ALS Association of America
21021 Ventura Blvd., Suite 321
Woodland Hills, CA 91364

The Muscular Dystrophy Association
3300 E Sunrise Drive
Tucson, AZ 85718
1-800-572-1717

Center for Neurologic Study
9850 Genesee Avenue, Suite 320
LaJolla, CA 92037
1-619-455-5463













If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.


If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.


If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.


If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say "I love you", instead of assuming, you would know I do.


If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well I'm sure you'll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away.


For surely there's always tomorrow to make-up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything right.


There will always be another day to say our "I love you's", and certainly there's another chance to say our "anything I can do's"?


But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, and today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.


So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?



For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day, that you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.


So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, tell them how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear. Take time to say "I'm sorry," "please forgive me", "thank you" or "it's okay".


And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.














The past four years have been very hard and continue to leave us very sad. Those of you who "have traveled this path" know only too well what I mean. But the outpouring of love and concern from many friends and family members, has been most heart warming to me.

To you my dear friends, I can only say - "God bless us everyone".


The following links are provided for your convenience. They are a good source to greater knowledge of the disease.










The following links are to some of my favorite pages that have given me strength and inspiration.





Will you please help me keep Ron's candle burning by keeping him in your prayers and thoughts, and taking a moment to sign his "special" guestbook. I know he will really appreciate your kindness and it will mean so much to him.



Sign My Guestbook Get your own FREE Guestbook from htmlGEAR View My Guestbook






This page is made with love from my heart and is dedicated to my son and to all the families in the world who are facing trials and tribulations in their lives.

~ May you all be blessed by this site ~

If you wish to send me a private message - please click on my "special little angel" ... Thank You!