Series of benefits scheduled to help Spencer family
By Angie Hutschreider
angieh@newstribune.com







In January, Harold Spencer noticed his speech was becoming slurred. He had leg cramps at night and was experiencing muscle spasms in his hands.

Spencer and his wife, Alice, went to several different physicians seeking an answer.

“Some of the symptoms can be attributed to so many different things, though,” Alice said.

After several misdiagnosis, Harold underwent several MRIs and was referred to a neurologist. “They didn't find anything wrong - besides my speech problems,” Harold said.

But he wasn't getting any better and was referred to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, where an electromyograph (EMG) - which detects the electrical potential of muscles when contracted, and also when at rest - was performed.

At that point it was determined the ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease - had affected every muscle in the 52-year-old's body.

A series of benefits will be held for the Spencer family. The first is 5:30-7:30 Friday night at the Highway 54 Church of Christ. The spaghetti dinner costs $5 a person.



Then, a garage sale will be held Aug. 17-18 at 5304 Scruggs Station Road. To donate items or for more information about the sale, call Darla Jones at (573) 418-0095.

Harold spent eight years working at Villa Marie Skilled Nursing Facility in Jefferson City as a certified medical technician and a certified nurses aide. He also spent the last two years doing the work he says he enjoyed the most - talking care of patients in the oncology palliative care unit as a patient care technician.

“I really like taking care of people,” he said, noting he hopes to do some type of volunteer work at the hospital.

Once he was diagnosed with ALS on May 5, he quit working, thinking of his patients' safety.

“I had never hurt a patient and I did not want to take the chance of someone getting hurt,” he said.

The effects of ALS take over one's life and body quickly. Harold's speech is declining, and he experiences extreme muscle weakness and fatigue.

The once-avid outdoorsman who loved camping, fishing, jogging and talking with people struggles to be able to eat and will undergo a sleep study to see if he needs oxygen at night.

Harold will also have a feeding tube inserted on Tuesday. “Eating is a real challenge for me,” he said.

Most people with ALS will live three to five years following diagnosis, although some people with the disease have been known to live up to 20 years, while others have even noticed a reversal in symptoms.

“They tell us there is no rhyme or reason to the disease,” Alice said. “Some people are in a wheelchair but can still talk. Harold will most likely not be able to talk before he needs a wheelchair.”

There are 5,600 new diagnosis of ALS each year.

“That is really amazing - think of all of the people out there with this,” Harold said.

The family says faith is the key to making it through the process of this disease. Harold says he prays more, simply because “you never know what will happen when you walk out the door.

“You never know what will happen in life. I never thought this would happen to me, and I want to bless every person and family who has to deal with this disease.”

He said his five children, ages 10 to 34, have helped pull together and fill in the gaps.

“The 14-year-old is helping mow the lawn and do some of the chores that Harold can't do anymore,” Alice said. “The kids have really become more protective and understanding.

“It is obvious when you see them jump up when they hear a sound, they just want to make sure their Dad is okay.”

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