ALS-afflicted mom finds inner strength
By Melissa Murphy/Staff Writer
Article Launched: 06/28/2007 06:22:17 AM PDT


Christa Emmons tears up as she talks about living with ALS. (Joel Rosenbaum/The Reporter)


Sitting in a chair, watching her 18-month-old son play on the floor, Dixon resident Christa Emmons fights back tears.
The stiffening of her body makes it difficult to participate in his activities, but she's trying hard to stay strong for her little boy.

That's how it's been every day for the past four months - ever since Emmons was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease or ALS.

Ironically, it was after the birth of her son, Frank Lopez, that Emmons first noticed the symptoms of the disease.

"My ankles started to feel really tight after I gave birth," Emmons explained. "Then it was getting harder to walk."

Through the course of a year, Emmons accompanied by family members, was in and out of doctor's offices. She saw several neurologists, though none could exactly pinpoint the cause of the stiffness.

Stopping for a bite to eat at a local Dixon hang out, Emmons and her mom, Jeanette Emmons, read a notice about a woman in Dixon who had ALS and who had recently died.

"I asked Christa if they ever tested her for Lou Gehrig's Disease," Jeanette said. "The next day she goes to the doctor's office and they told her that's what she had."

ALS is a gradual deterioration of nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement.

For now, ALS has only affected Christa's arms and legs. She uses a walker and a powered wheelchair to get around.

"I don't have the strength to grip and trying to balance is hard," she explained. "Frank is starting to realize that mom can't pick him up or chase him."

Christa hopes in the next few months her son will be potty-trained so she won't have to worry about putting him in a diaper.

"He is a handful," she said laughing. "I didn't think I wanted kids. Then I decided I wanted one and now I can't participate like I want."

One of the hardest struggles Christa faces is giving up her independence.

"I was very independent," she said fighting back tears. "It's hard to admit that I can't do the things I used to do. There are days when I just want to sit in my room and cry."

Christa's boyfriend and Frank's father, Gilbert Lopez, helps clean the house and cooks meals after he gets home from work. Lopez also has to help Christa take a shower.

Christa's parents and grandparents also help since they live less than four blocks away.

"No way was I going to let her be alone," Jeanette said. "We're still all in shock. We knew of the disease, but we didn't know what the extent of it would be."

According to Jeanette, the doctors believe Christa has the slow progressive form of ALS, which means it could only affect her arms and legs and not her speech or swallowing.

"I'm not sure what slow means because things have changed a lot of her since February," Jeanette said.

Even though Christa has limited mobility, her powered wheelchair gets her to places she needs to go.

"We went to the zoo and we've visited San Francisco, we've also been to a Rivercats game," she said. "The powerchair has helped in a big way."

Christa has insurance to help pay for much of her care but there are still financial hardships.

To help pay for things that are not covered with insurance, a family friend will hold a yard sale Saturday.

Kurt and Marcey Riedel, who have known Christa since she was a little girl, are heading up the sale from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 670 Sierra Drive in Dixon.

"We're just happy we can help in someway," said Kurt, whose garage is overflowing with items to be sold Saturday. "My wife said she wanted a fun and interesting way to help raise funds. Even if you don't find anything, we are still taking donations."

The funds might help cover the little things, Christa said. In the meantime, she said she looks forward to celebrating her 28th birthday Friday. Events like that, and this weekend's sale help to keep her motivated, she said.

"I'm still finding it hard to accept, but my son and family keep me motivated," she said. "I keep thinking I'm living with ALS, not dying from it. I need to fight."

Melissa Murphy can be reached at dixon@thereporter.com.
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