DANVILLE
Living with ALS
Diagnosis doesn't stop man from joining in on hunting trip
By Damian Gessel
November 29, 2006


DANVILLE — It has been three years since Jeff Dent's body has allowed him to draw a bow, to stalk through the woods behind his family's Valley Township farm, to hunt with his father.

Only six months after Mr. Dent was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or what's better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, he was confined to a wheelchair. Not long after that, Jeff lost use of his arms and upper body, and his ability to speak soon followed.

Jeff Dent is only 39 years old.

On Monday, he went out to the family farm with his father once more with the hope of spotting a deer on opening day.

"It was pretty great seeing him sitting there in the field," Dave said. "It was special."

For several hours, Jeff waited in his chair, an orange hunting coat draped over his chest, for a deer to cross his field of vision. And though his arms are too weak to lift a gun and fire a shot, Jeff's father believes just being out there is still a thrill for him.

"He used to be a real good hunter. He would get his deer," said Dave.

But hunting, along with all other forms of physical activity, have become an impossibility for Jeff. In the two years since he has been diagnosed with ALS, Mr. Dent has become an invalid, and now requires a full-time caretaker.

Lou Gehrig's Disease

The ALS association defines Lou Gehrig's disease as a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. When those cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement dies with them.

Patients in the later stages of the disease are totally paralyzed, yet in most cases, their minds remain sharp and alert.

Every day, an average of 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS — more than 5,600 per year. The average life expectancy for a person with ALS is between two and five years, and only 10 percent of ALS sufferers survive 10 years after their initial diagnosis.

But perhaps the most frustrating thing about ALS is there is no known cure, despite extensive research.

"There's no cure for it," Dave said. "They can't come up with anything."

But Jeff and Dave haven't given up the fight. The pair and the rest of the Dent family routinely head to Harrisburg to participate in fundraisers. A sign in Jeff's front yard, reading "We Walk for Jeffrey Dent" announces their efforts.

The disease, however, has baffled families and researchers since its discovery.

"They just don't know what can be done," said Dave.

Hunters

Hunting runs in the Dent family. Dave's father was a hunter, Dave is a hunter, and Jeff has been hunting since he was 12 years old.

"They're like best buds, Dave is here all the time," said Jeff's caretaker, Shawna Malencore.

When Jeff and his father hunt now, Dave has to be careful his son doesn't get too cold. November mornings are notoriously chilly, and Jeff is unable to move to generate body heat.

Dave admits the pair might not be out again for a while. The weather has to be right, he said.

But if they do go out again, father and son hunting on a clear and cold morning, neither man will likely have much to say about the day's bounty.

"We're not much of a storytelling outfit," Dave said.


E-mail comments to dgessel@thedanvillenews.com.


http://www.dailyitem.com/apps/pbcs.d...NEWS/611290328