America's heroes hit hard by Lou Gehrig's disease

By: Kathryn Bursch

Dunedin, Florida – Bill Motley is proud of his Army service in Vietnam. He’s glad he got out alive to raise six kids. But Motley’s military past may now be haunting him.

Like many other military veterans, Motley has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He remembers the exact moment four years ago when he got the news.

“Very, very emotional; you actually see your life flash before you,” he says.

There is no cure for ALS, which slowly robs the body of movement. And while he can still walk and talk, Motley intends to fight for stricken veterans.

“There’s a purpose why we’re on this earth and who knows, my purpose may be to bring awareness to this disease.”

Several studies show that people who have served in the military are at greater risk for developing ALS and the ALS Association says researchers need to find out why.

“It steals your freedom,” says Kamden Alexander, a spokesperson for the ALS Association. “It steals the freedom from the very people who fought for our freedom.”

And this weekend, another Florida veteran intends to spread awareness mile by mile. Ken Patterson will ride his motorized wheelchair on roads from Orlando to Washington, D.C. Patterson will deliver letters signed by veterans urging lawmakers to fund more research.

Motley signed several of those letters. He served his country and now he hopes his country will serve him.

“You lay your life on the line. You come back home and you think, 'I’ve done a good job,'” and then thinking about his fatal disease, Motley holds back tears, “It’s like a double whammy.”

• For more information on ALS and Florida Chapter activities, click here.
• To read about ALS and the possible military connection, click here.
• For more on Ken Patterson's wheelchair trip to Washington, click here.