Jim Thew of Machesney Park with wife Kumiko and son Ty. Thew suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, a malady which attacks the nervous system.


The war at home

After serving his country for nearly a decade, Jim Thew now should be enjoying life with his family. Instead, he's 'a prisoner in a cell you can't get out of'

May 22, 2007
BY LORI RACKL Staff Reporter
During his nearly nine years in the U.S. Armed Forces, Jim Thew did two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf.

When the helicopter engine mechanic left the Navy in 1999, he figured the dangers of military life were behind him.

Now, as Thew sits in his wheelchair wearing a neckbrace to help support his head, he's not so sure.
The 36-year-old Rockford-area father has ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease. The deadly illness attacks the nervous system, robbing patients of the ability to walk, talk and, eventually, breathe.

While the disease is rare, research is mounting that military veterans -- especially those who served in the 1991 Gulf War -- are at increased risk of developing ALS.

A 2003 government-funded study determined that Gulf War vets were about twice as likely to get the disorder as other military personnel. Harvard researchers in 2005 found that prior to the Gulf War, men with any history of military service during the last century had a nearly 60 percent greater risk of getting ALS than their non-military counterparts. More recently, the Institute of Medicine issued a report late last year that concluded "there is limited and suggestive evidence of an association between military service and later development of ALS."

The report called for more research, particularly into what might explain the apparent link -- chemicals, other environmental exposures, psychological trauma -- between ALS and vets.

More research is what Thew and the ALS Association want to see, along with the creation of a nationwide registry of all people with ALS. The patient group last week supplied every member of U.S. Congress with summaries of studies suggesting a connection between military service and the neurodegenerative disease.

"The evidence shows that people in the military have a greater risk of getting ALS," Thew said. "That means there has to be something in that general area where it's causing people to have the disease. If they can pinpoint it, they can either find a cure or find something to prevent it from happening."

Thew was first deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1992, after combat ended. He can't prove his ALS stemmed from his time in military, but he also can't shake his strong suspicion the two are related. Like most ALS patients, Thew has no family history of the disease. He collects disability payments from the VA, but the military hasn't deemed his ALS service-connected.

Thew's symptoms started a few years after he left the Navy, which he joined shortly after graduating from west suburban Addison Trail High School. He suffered terrible coughing spells and weakness in his left leg.

After a battery of tests, doctors finally diagnosed him in 2004 with ALS, which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The disorder gets diagnosed each year in about 5,600 U.S. men and women, usually after age 50.

ALS is a type of motor neuron disease; it damages the nerves we use when we want our muscles to move. The end result is total paralysis. While it destroys the body, it spares the mind, leaving patients acutely aware of what's happening to them.

"You become a prisoner in a cell you can't get out of," said Thew, who has spent the last six months largely confined to a wheelchair.

The disease has cost him his job, his house (the family now rents an apartment) and his ability to simply play catch with his 10-year-old son, Ty. In the not-so-distant future it will likely cost him his life, too. ALS patients live an average of two to five years after diagnosis.

He's doubtful he'll be around to see a cure. But he wants to do what he can, while he can, to prevent others from suffering the same fate.

"I got a niece that just came back from Iraq, a son-in-law in the Army. I don't want these kids to go through this battle, too," he said. "One war a lifetime is enough."

http://www.suntimes.com:80/lifestyle...ls0522.article

news video with jim.
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Illinois Veteran in the fight of his life By Karen Meyer
May 24, 2007 -

After two tours of duty in ther Persian Gulf, an Illinois Veteran was looking forward to being home with his family. Three years ago, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease and is now facing a difficult battle.

Related Links
www.alsa.org
Jim Thew understood the risk a person takes when he or she joins the military but the 35-year-old could not have prepared for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Thew joined the Navy at 19, shortly after he graduated from high school.

"I was a jet engine mechanic," Thew said. "I went in 1991 and I got out in 1999. I worked on the SH60 B Helicopter."

Thew said he was proud to represent his country and did two tours of duty during the Persian Gulf War, first aboard the USS Fife and then the USS Kertz.

"The Army was my first kick but I ended up going in the Navy because I got a job," said Thew.

After making the transition to civilian life, Jim's future changed at the end of 2003.

"I had severe coughing spells," Thew said. "I was dizzy and my foot was dragging and I finally got in and I was seeing a neurologist at the VA (Hospital) and that's when he started diagnosing me."

After the ALS diagnosis, Thew could no longer work and lost his home because of medical bills. The married father of three refused to give up and got involved with the ALS Association of Greater Chicago. It is a not-for-profit organization that provides education and support groups for people with ALS.

Patient Services Coordinator Nicole Sammartino remembered the first time she met Thew.

"When I came aboard, I was told I had to meet him," Sammartino said. "He really is our spokesperson and does so much for our chapter in creating awareness for ALS."

Thew has been helping other veterans with ALS to get the recognition of the disease in the military.

"There is so little known about ALS but there is even less known about ALS in the military," Thew said. "Military veterans have a higher rate of ALS and the Gulf War Veterans at twice higher the rate."

Thew's wife Kumiko said he will continue to fight the disease.

"He's fought once before," Kumiko said. "He's fighting right now from this disease."

Thew said he still wonders why this happened to him.

"I served in the military and I'm a good citizen so what did I do that I would get something as devastating as what I call ALS the Monster," said Thew.

To assist people like Jim Thew, you can call the ALS Association of Greater Chicago at 312-932-0000 or visit their website at www.alsa.org