ALS

I read Tuesdays with Morrie for the first time a few weeks ago. (And found my own copy for a dollar at a thrift store, score.) Obviously I was effectively touched, because reading the biography of the author (conveniently placed at the end of a book about how material things don't matter) meant absolutely nothing to me. It was kind of cool. I have been known to say things like, "Dude, TIGHT" when people tell me they've had concussions or other kinds of neurologic problems. Naturally, I find amyotrophic lateral sclerosis fascinating on paper. Not only does it involve the nervous system (which I love) but it also often affects speech (which is what I'll be doing with the rest of my life). But in real life, this disease is terrifying. Your neurons just die. No cause has been discovered, nor is there a surefire method of diagnosis. But as a future speech-language pathologist who wants to work with patients that have neurologic disorders, I am grateful that I have a grounded belief in something beyond this life. If I didn't, I'd probably cry every day of working with patients. I probably still will anyways. Don't judge me.