An Impact That Will Last Forever
I had my second Walk to Defeat ALS
this weekend in Bismarck! It was great and to top it off the rain held off for
the walk and it turned out to be a beautiful morning! Usually I participate in
the walks with a team, but this time I was a volunteer. We arrived at Sertoma
Park at 7:30 in the morning and starting hanging up signs, blowing up balloons,
and getting everything organized for the walkers to arrive. It was a great
experience to be on the other side as a volunteer; I got to see how much work
goes into setting up for the ALS walks. Once the walkers started to arrive, I
was in charge of getting the teams registered and registering new walkers for
the day. There were so many people and the time flew by. Before I knew it, it
was time for me to give my speech.
I again shared a little bit of my mom’s and
my story and made an impact on some people, but this time I impacted a family
in a different way. After the walkers came back from walking and we started
taking everything down and cleaning up, a man approached me. He explained to me
that he lost his daughter from ALS and she was only 34, so when he heard me say
my mom was 34 when she was diagnosed it really hit home for him. He then pulled
out his phone, showed me a picture, and said, “and this is what she left
behind.” The picture was of three beautiful children, twin boys who were 13 and
a girl who was 11. At that moment, I can’t describe to you how I felt. I
started talking with the man and I said I wish I could talk with the kids, and
he happily said that they hadn’t left yet. I walked with him over to the rest
of his family and introduced myself. We all started talking and I began to
listen to their story and their journey with ALS. As a nursing student we learn
how to communicate with patients in difficult situations, but nothing can
prepare you for knowing how to talk to a child who has lost a parent. I grew up
with a sick mom and had to step up at a very young age and take on
responsibilities most kids do not take until they are in college, but I have
never lost a parent. The kids that I met were the most strongest and beautiful
children that someone could meet. They have gone through a situation that I
have not had to go through, and I let them know just how amazing they were. I
know that I have impacted people’s lives, but that family had an impact on me that will stick with me forever.
When I was crowned Miss North Dakota
International in December, I had a vision of what I wanted to do. One of my
visions was to help out kids whose parents are affected by ALS. There are ALS
support groups across the United States for families, but to my knowledge from
my research that I have done, there is nothing set up across the United States
for children. The children are allowed to go to support groups with their
parents, but coming from personal experience, it can be very intimidating to
attend them. It is very hard for children to talk about their emotions and I
along with my siblings know exactly just how hard it is. It is especially hard
when you are surrounded by adults. I wish so bad, that I knew there were other
children affected the same way I was when I was young, and I know my brother
and sister wish so as well. As a child, you think that you are the only one.
This weekend, I was able to start this particular vision. I was there for those
kids, and I plan to be there for them. I want them to know that they aren’t
alone and that I know what it is like to have a mom diagnosed with ALS.
Although my mom is still living, and their mom sadly passed, I want to still
help them in any way that I can.
This past weekend I also joined the
Fargo/Moorhead ALS Walk Committee to plan the upcoming walk in August. I am so
excited, and I can’t wait to get going on fundraising and organizing the event!
So many doors have opened for me, and I can’t wait for more to continue to
open!
ALS FACTS:
The life expectancy for an ALS patient is 2-5 years, with 20%
living past 5 years, and only 10% living past 10 years.
ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and is also
known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Love Always,
Erica Lemna
