ALS: Alva Long Speaks
By Crystal La Rue and Alva G. Long
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ALS - Crystal La Rue
In Dedication
This book is dedicated to a special woman who changed the lives of many. Alva Gene Long was a daughter, mother, wife and friend. She gave her life to her family. And she would do anything to help them, and others, to find their purpose in this world. She may have had a life of trials and tribulations. But she allowed her faith in God to see her through each and every one of them.
My mother and I decided to write this book to be not only a memoir of her life, but an inspiration to all who read it. It is the one last gift that I can give her to show how her dedication to me has grown me into the intelligent and talented woman that I am.
I pray that as you read this book, you will see how God can take the smallest of people and make them giants of encouragement in this world that is so lost and alone. I also hope that this book might bring you to a point that you would wish to dedicate your life to a Father in Heaven who loves you, and sent His only son down to this earth to save your soul. His love is never failing, and you can trust Him. You just have to allow Him into your life. And He will do the rest.
- Crystal I. La Rue
With Thanks
First, and foremost, I would like to thank my God in heaven who graced this world with this remarkable woman. She gave love and wonder to all she encountered. He also gave me the words to tell her story so that all could learn how He blessed her life with His love and guidance. He never let go of her hand.
I would also like to take a moment and thank my family and friends for supporting me through the process of writing this book. They have helped me get through times of poverty and need and still maintained their faith in me, even when I have wanted to give up on myself. Their support has always been greatly appreciated
Writing this book has also brought me closer to my mother as I have come to appreciate her even more. So I thank her for always encouraging me to continue writing and trying to find my place in the literary world. I am hoping that this book, that we have done together, opens new doors for me to use the talent that she has always treasured in me. Thanks to you, my dearest mother.
What is ALS?
ALS is a very complicated disease. I hope this information sheds some light on how this life- altering, terminal condition affects so many people. Hopefully you’ll also see how the more information that we have on it, the better we are to deal with it.
The definition, according to the Mayo Clinic is as follows:
"Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a serious neurological disease that causes muscle weakness, disability and eventually death. ALS is often called Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous baseball player who died of it in 1941.
Worldwide, ALS occurs in one to three people per 100,000. An inherited form of the disease occurs in 5 to 10 percent of the cases. But in the vast majority of cases, doctors don't yet know why ALS occurs in some people and not in others.
ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, or with slurring of speech. Eventually, ALS affects your ability to control the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe." [1]
Symptoms of ALS can include the difficulty of lifting the front part of your foot, otherwise known as drop foot. You may also experience weakness in your hands, legs, feet and ankles. Your speech may also become slurred, along with having trouble swallowing. There may also be cramping and twitching in your muscles, limbs, and in your tongue.[2]
ALS is caused when the nerve cells that control your muscles die off. Your muscles become weaker to where they waste away
. The ratio is every one in ten cases of ALS are inherited. The rest occur randomly.[3]
There are several risk factors of ALS. As mentioned before, heredity is one of those factors. If the parent inherited this disease from one of his/ her parents, their children