Body
CBS Chicago recently featured Shirley Ryan AbilityLab patient Cecil P. for a segment about how he is navigating ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control the ability to move, walk and talk.
Body
Cecil was diagnosed with ALS less than a year ago, when his wife, Grace, was four months pregnant. Since then, his condition has progressed, and he now requires the use of a wheelchair and a non-invasive ventilator.
Cecil comes to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab for outpatient care, including physical and occupational therapy. On a recent visit, his care team helped him stand up for a few minutes during physical therapy.
"You can't tell, but I'm dancing now," he said in the CBS segment. "It feels great. I feel ten feet tall."
Currently, there is no cure for ALS. However, Cecil still feels he is “batting a thousand” with his wife by his side, who he calls his “Amazing Grace,” as well as with their 6-month-old daughter.
"I don't think anyone would blame us for being upset, angry, frustrated. They wouldn't blame us for yelling at the world, but I just don't choose to look at life that way," he said in the segment. "I'm in a wheelchair, but I can still kiss my wife. I'm batting a thousand, because I have my wife by my side. I have our daughter that she's holding."
"This stuff that I'm going through, it ain't easy, I'll be very frank," he added. "But every day you can wake up, and find a reason to be happy, find blessings in your life, and know that there's still a lot of good out there."
