It’s been just over a year now and I’m still at a loss for words.
When I was slapped with this diagnosis of ALS it turned my world upside down, as I just couldn’t believe it was me that this was happening to. I have always been an active healthy person that works hard and just couldn’t believe that I could be sick.
The love and support that this community and others have given my family is just truly surreal.
I have always loved this small town. I have always been proud to tell people where I grew up! I have often told people that I would have never went on to reach for goals like making the NFR or the Canadian Finals, or even working on movies if it wasn’t for this small town.
Back when I was growing up and in high school, the amount of love and support this town showed for us kids made us feel that we could move mountains – at least that is how I always felt! I always knew people would show up to support us, give us a helping hand, cheer us on and pick us up when we were down. The years playing basketball, our gymnasium was usually always packed. My senior year in 1997 was one of the best years of my life. Playing basketball with the fierce beautiful group of girls I did was what every player wishes they had been able to play with. We were all so competitive! Not one of us liked to lose and you can bet that we challenged each other during practices to make each other better. Then when it came to the games we had each others backs and we were always about “the team”. Looking back, it was seriously one of the best times in my life!! I’m so thankful to have had one of the best coaches be there for me all through high school not just as a coach but as a friend as well. She is still here supporting and helping me get thru life and I’m forever thankful!
When Mike and I moved back about 6 years ago it was just easy to get back into the community and be involved. I’m so thankful that Gracie was able to finish up her schooling down here and be apart of this town and community. The friends she has made I know will be friends for life, just like my friends I went to school with.
I just hope that you all know how much I appreciate each and every one of you that has helped me and my family in the last year and continue to keep helping and praying. When I was told I had 2-5 yrs to live if I was lucky and that there was nothing they could do for me was just such a shock. I seriously thought I had a slipped disk in my back from some wrecks I’ve taken on some movie sets. So to find out they had nothing for me, I just couldn’t accept that.
In this last year with the help and generosity of so many people I have been able to travel to Florida for treatments. We have found a place that fights very hard to get to the bottom of ALS and wants to help people be cured, find remission, get stable, and even reverse. Financially I would have never been able to do any of this with out so many amazing people supporting me. It has been one crazy expensive year. I go just about every month or 2 down to Florida and stay 1-3 weeks depending. We have found that I have a few viruses - Lyme being one of them and also being very high in some toxic chemicals like roundup and atrazine. With all of that and not being able to detox very well is how my body has become the way it is. I’m working every day on healthy living. I only eat organic vegetables and lean meats/grass fed. It has been a great health change and I know my body appreciates it. It is just going to take some time to get it cleaned out.
With the generosity that has been given to me and my family I have been able to purchase a machine called a Neubie and I feel that it is really helping my legs and body stay stable and not get worse. My upper body is still very strong and I’m so thankful for that!
I know a lot of people don’t do Facebook or social media so I’m hoping this will reach them and everyone will know how much I appreciate all of support and love that we have received in this journey we are on. If there is anything that a person could take away from any of this is don’t sweat the small stuff, enjoy your life and family, do the things you “wish” you could do, tell people you love them, spend your time with the ones you love and never take for granted a day you get to spend here on earth.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for me and my family, you will never know how much it all means to me!
Love always,
Katie Garthwaite, Condon
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