Hi Mr Fitzpatrick,

My name is Gianmarco Maximilian Giacomelli, but I go by Max. I'm 23 years old, I graduated from University in Halifax, Canada in October 2007 and have been working as a financial analyst since. I have 2 parents, 2 sisters, 1 dog and 1 cat.

I was diagnosed with monomelic amyotrophy (MMA) about 5 years ago when I was 18. It was explained to me that it is similar to having ALS but just in your hands and arms (but eventually it stops getting worse... supposedly. I guess that doesn't really seem like ALS at all.)

I was flipping through the March 2008 Esquire (that's been sitting in my bathroom for 4 months now) and came across your interview. I just wanted to let you know that your honesty is much appreciated - it's first of all hard enough to find someone willing to speak out about a debilitating disease, but your honest and analytical approach is inspiring.

Congratulations on making it through July 2008 and beating your father,

Max