Dancing with ALS and Life

dancinwithalsandlife.blogspot.com AI ART, ‘THE MMA VICTORY’ Yesterday, I was minding my own business when, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I found myself in a full-blown cat fight that resulted in gushing blood, scratches across my forehead, a swollen nose, sore ribs and chest, two black eyes, and—once again—a broken pair of glasses. You should see the other bitch. I doubt she’ll be coming around here anytime soon. I really wish I could say I was some badass female MMA fighter like Amanda Nunes. But in all honesty, the fight that left me bruised and bleeding wasn’t with another fighter. It was with the fiercest  opponent I've ever faced- ALS. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Amanda Nunes, she’s considered by many to be the greatest female MMA fighter of all time. Nicknamed “The Lioness,” she built her reputation through strength, grit, and a fearless fighting style. Now you’re probably wondering… How exactly does someone get into a MMA fight with themselves? Again, drum...

dancingwithalsandlife.blogspot.com AI ART, The Universe Inside Me  “Even in chaos, the soul can still bloom in brilliant colors”

AI ART, HE HAS US COVERED  When people think about ALS, they often imagine it as the biggest challenge a person could face. They see the physical losses, the medical appointments, the equipment, and the uncertainty, and assume that life must surely pause enough for me to process all of it. But life doesn't work that way. The world doesn't stop delivering heartbreak simply because I am already carrying more than most people could imagine. One of the most difficult realities of living with ALS is discovering that the disease doesn't exempt me from the rest of life's tragedies. Financial stress still exists, friendships can fade, unexpected crises can happen. Sometimes unimaginable losses appear in my life, leaving me trying to make sense of grief while already navigating a life altering illness. People often ask how I cope with ALS. What they don't always ask is how I cope with ALS and everything else. The truth is,...

dancingwithalsandlife.blogspot.com AI ART, “Community United” 🇺🇸Happy Memorial Day!🇺🇸 Honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice.   “Even when the body grows still, the spirit continues to speak—through love, through care, through awareness, and through action.” 5/26

AI ART, Ice Bucket Challenge” Life with ALS isn’t something I planned for. It doesn’t fit neatly into the timeline I imagined for myself. Instead, it interrupts—quietly at first, then more loudly—until forced to look at my life through a completely different lens. ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is often described in clinical terms: a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. But those words don’t capture the lived experience. They don’t explain what it feels like to slowly lose physical abilities while your mind remains fully aware. They don’t describe the emotional landscape—the grief, the fear, the resilience, and, surprisingly, the moments of deep clarity and gratitude. The Reality Behind the Diagnosis At first, life becomes a series of adjustments. Tasks that once felt automatic—buttoning a shirt, walking across a room, lifting a cup—require intention, patience, and sometimes help. Independence begins to shift, and with tha...