Living with ALS


Argus-Press Photo by Anthony Cepak Veronica Townsend sits with her husband George and their three children, from the left, twins April and Lilly, both 12, and Quintin, 8, on the couch in the living room of their Perry home.
By LIZ SHEPARD Argus-Press Staff Writer


Monday, April 30, 2007 10:25 AM EDT


PERRY - Having always liked things done just right, Veronica Townsend isn't allowing the laundry to escape her careful inspection - even though she can no longer make it down the stairs to do it herself.


Argus-Press Photo by Anthony Cepak Veronica Townsend sits with her husband George and their three children, from the left, twins April and Lilly, both 12, and Quintin, 8, on the couch in the living room of their Perry home.
The 38-year-old was diagnosed in 2005 with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Even though the disease has disabled her and slowed her down, she said, it has also made her take a different perspective on life.

“It's just a different world and you appreciate the little things you didn't think of when you are just normal,” she said.

As her husband George and her twin 12-year-old daughters now make the march to the basement's laundry room, Veronica has pieced together a clothes hanger and mirror so she is able to peer down and see that proper sorting is being done.

“She likes a tidy household...she likes it done her way and I think the biggest thing she's missing right now is the fact that she can't get up and do the house the way she wants it and the yard the way she wants,” George said. “Because she was the Bob Vila of the house - she was the one who fixed everything.”

Although the re-telling of her spy-like laundry behaviors still gets a giggle out of George, the Townsends' sense of humor has been interrupted with tears since Veronica's diagnosis almost a year and a half ago.

“We took a few months to let it soak in, because I got diagnosed Nov. 15 of (2005) and that was right before Christmas, so we were just trying to shut it off, just trying to get through the holidays and deal with it after...and then start what I needed to do to prepare for it - which you can never be prepared for,” Veronica said.


Each progressing symptom forms a new challenge that requires a new adaptation, and Veronica said the preparation for the progression of the disease is one of the most difficult aspects. The debilitating disease affects the motor neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord, which leads to degeneration and eventually paralysis of muscles.

The family of five faced further challenges as George was laid off from his job as an assembly manager at TRW Automotive, and they realized Veronica would soon have to give up her two part-time jobs.

Veronica said her daughters, her 8-year-old son and George are her motivation to keep moving forward as she battles the progression of ALS.

“It was rough...we had a lot on our dinner plate at the time - both emotionally and physically,” George said.

About three months after her diagnosis, Veronica had to give up delivering newspapers everyday and working as a merchandiser for Hallmark as she lost the use of her right leg. Plagued with clonus, an alternating succession of contraction and relaxation in the muscles, she could no longer drive and walking became difficult.

Veronica's walking has diminished further, and she now relies on a walker and has a wheelchair for inside the house. Her symptoms, however, are progressing at a slower rate than some.

“According to my doctors I'm doing good...I'm progressing a little slower than the norm, but everyone is different, every patient is different,” she said. “But personally I think I've progressed quite a bit more than I've wanted.”

Veronica and George said the financial and emotional changes have brought their family closer to each other. The children's activities have been reduced, so dinners are now spent together instead of on the way to the next practice or game.

Veronica said her children have also learned compassion and appreciation for life through her diagnosis, and the family has become more connected to the community as strangers and neighbors have reached out to lend a hand.

All five Townsends have also become active in raising awareness of the disease through walks and other activities. Veronica has been selected as part of a nationwide campaign through the Muscular Dystrophy Association and will be featured on www.als-mda.org May 5.

Veronica also spends time making “believing in a cure” jewelry that can be purchased at www.ALSofMI.org under the family and friends link. The entire family has become involved in walks and other campaigns with the hope that increasing awareness will move research forward and find a cure.

After finding out about her diagnosis, Veronica came up with two goals to complete, and she's already achieved one. Last year her dream of taking her family to Disney World was reached after they used savings to make the trip.

Now Veronica is looking to meet Jon Bon Jovi after being a fan for nearly two decades.

“(George) was told before I married him he was second,” said Veronica
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