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Old 12-26-2007, 10:20 AM #1
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BobbyB BobbyB is offline
In Remembrance
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 4,609
15 yr Member
BobbyB BobbyB is offline
In Remembrance
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 4,609
15 yr Member
Thumbs Up Hall’s full of inspiration

Hall’s full of inspiration
By Emanuel Lee





Rich Hall doesn’t view himself as a beacon of hope.


But so many other people do. Like the numerous umpires over the years who have come up to Hall before and after softball games, praising Hall’s teams for their sportsmanship and the way they play the game. Or the dozens of people who last year stopped Hall as he came out of the parking lot to try to watch a tournament softball game.


It took Hall nearly 20 minutes just to get to the field. Hall, 51, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in April 2004. A degenerative condition that affects 5,600 Americans each year, ALS is a ruthless disease, progressively weakening the muscles until the body atrophies and is no longer able to function.


The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages about two to five years. Only 10 percent live longer than a decade. Hall, a Redwood Shores resident and longtime Peninsula fixture, doesn’t plan on going anytime soon. Wheelchair-bound for the last year, Hall remembers that fateful day when he was diagnosed with ALS.


“It was a bit overwhelming,” he said. “Nothing can really prepare you for a situation like this.”


Even though he kind of saw it coming. The symptoms started when he couldn’t shoot a routine jump shot because of a loss of coordination. Then the muscles in his legs started to get weaker, leaving him vulnerable to tripping at any point. He lost dexterity in his fingers a year after his diagnosis. Now Hall is relegated to a wheelchair 14 to 16 hours a day.


He has to be bathed, dressed and fed. But he doesn’t feel sorry for himself. Instead, he cherishes the little things more than ever before. Like seeing his three kids — Amy, Spencer and Sara — go to school. Watching them play sports. Coaching softball.


Boy, does he love coaching. A basketball and baseball star at Amador Valley High in Pleasanton in the mid-1970s, Hall first got into coaching so he could spend more time with his kids as they grew up. A stickler for fundamentals, Hall’s biggest emphasis was for the players on his team to have fun. Learn something new. Live life. Enjoy the moment.





Staying in the game


Just like he does today. Along with two other coaches, Hall has coached the NorCal Blitz — an 18-and-under fastpitch softball traveling team — for the last six years. Before that, Hall coached in various recreation leagues and had a one-year stint as the junior varsity softball coach at Notre Dame-Belmont.


“When I’m out and about in the community or at a sporting event the kids who I’ve coached in the past come up to me and say ‘Hi,’” Hall said. “I feel like they’re acknowledging that I’ve played a small role in helping them. Hopefully the girls (I’ve coached since being in a wheelchair) don’t even see me as a person in a wheelchair. I think they see me as a coach.”


Hall’s youngest daughter, Sara, who is a junior infielder at Notre Dame-Belmont, agrees: “My dad taught me how to play (softball). I’ve learned a lot from him. He was the one always taking me to sporting events, which have always been a big part of my life. It means a lot that he’s still able to come to my games, and just seeing him there makes things better.”


Lesley Hoelper, whose two daughters played for Hall last summer, knows there’s no one better to teach her daughters the game of softball.


“He’s an inspiration,” she said. “So many girls are on the Blitz because they want to play for Rich. I can’t think of a better person for my daughters to play for then him. He’s an amazing man.”


Hall is still going strong. Though confined to a wheelchair and no longer able to physically show his players what to do, he instructs them through words. He still works as a marketing engineer at PG&E, filing reports and providing analysis. Though not a deeply religious man, Hall has found comfort in church and prayer.


“Faith is always underlying with your actions and decisions,” he said. “I’m not overly religious but my Christian faith has meant a lot to me. I give thanks everyday.”





Disease shared by entire family


Especially to his family, particularly Karen, his wife of 20 years. Every morning, Karen spends 45 minutes to an hour getting Rich ready for the day. At night, it takes Karen an additional 30 to 45 minutes to brush Rich’s teeth and transfer him from the wheelchair to his bed. ALS is not an individual disease, it’s a family one.


“It’s hard to gain an appreciation for what it takes to get me out on the road,” Rich Hall said. “You just can’t imagine what my wife goes through. It’s such a burden because you’re depending on so many people, that you feel guilty in a way. I can’t eat. I can’t change (clothes). I can’t do anything really. It’s a strain at times for the family and frustrating to them as well.”


Hall gets particularly emotional when talking about Karen.


“She literally took the marriage vows of ‘For better or worse,’” Hall said. “I don’t know what I’d be doing without her and my family.”


Living with ALS takes a financial toll as well. Hall needs a heavy-duty wheelchair, a special speaker phone and mattress and a foyer to help him transfer from place to place in his home.


“My initial concern at first was what’s my family going to do and how expensive a disease it was,” Hall said.


It’s apparent Hall has affected so many people in different ways. The love he gave to others is being reciprocated today. While he can physically no longer do the things that once came easy, his mind is still functioning strong. He’s still got a sense of humor. He can still move his arms and feet ever so slightly. Hall knows better than anyone that in time his condition will only get worse. Even though Hall is in a dire situation, he’s found light.


“It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve maintained a positive outlook,” Hall said. “I realize that I still have a lot to do and there’s still a lot of life I can enjoy. I won’t become miserable. That’s not me. There’s still plenty to live for.”





Emanuel Lee can be reached by e-mail: emanuel@smdailyjournal.com

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articl...w.php?id=85096
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