Lou Gehrig’s sidelines young sports leader
Fundraisers to help city recreation administrator

By JACOB OGLES
jogles@news-press.com
Originally posted on October 20, 2007

A year ago, Erik Metzler was tossing around baseballs with Cape Coral Little Leaguers and organizing Babe Ruth League tournaments.

There was no indication then his body would soon fail.

Today, the 28-year-old has trouble standing up without a hand from his fiancee. A college graduate who hopes one to day to earn a master’s degree, Metzler now has trouble talking, and struggles to flip through papers with his atrophied fingers.

“The hardest part of this is going from an active lifestyle where I’m always doing something, to now, not being able to,” Metzler said.

In April, Metzler was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, an affliction best known for bringing down another baseball player in 1941, but which still little is known about today.

In coming weeks, two fundraisers are scheduled in Metzler’s honor, including a Nov. 4 golf benefit organized by his friends at the Babe Ruth league. Profits will be split between the baseball league, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Metzler’s medical bills.

Colleagues say before his affliction benched him, Metzler made tremendous contributions to city sports, despite his short number of years in the game.

But that just makes the rookie’s diagnosis that much harder to accept.

“I met Erik 10 months ago, and he was out playing catch with the kids,” said Bob Ryan, the organizer of the golf classic. “It’s just unbelievable.”

Metzler served for the past three years as a recreation administrator for Cape Coral. Before that, he was the athletics director for Fort Myers.

But his history with local sports goes back to his own days in the dugout. Before acting as the administrator for the Babe Ruth League in Cape Coral, he wore a uniform until he was 13. Later, he played football for Mariner High School.

He briefly left Southwest Florida to earn his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at Elmhurst College, where he also played football.

While there, he started dating Lindsay Stolz, then convinced her to come back to Cape Coral with him about five years ago. In December the two were engaged.

Planning a wedding and working full-time for the city organizing youth sports, Metzler was on a winning streak.

But in November, the first signs of his disease surfaced. Metzler began noticing some muscle problems, but attributed those to old football injuries. Initially, doctors did the same.

But within a few months, Metzler experienced problems with his shoulders and arms, and his speech started to slur. He underwent surgery in March, but his condition continued on a downward slide.

In April, two days before Metzler turned 28, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Better known as Lou Gehrig’s, ALS causes a disconnect between the brain and muscles.

It was an unbelievable prognosis to those who knew the lifelong athlete.
“I was absolutely devastated,” said Gwynne Hickman, Metzler’s mother. “He has always taken care of himself and stayed healthy.”

Other than his football injuries, Metzler has never suffered a serious health condition prior to the onset of this disease. He had started taking cholesterol medication shortly before the diagnosis because of high blood pressure, and wonders if there is any connection to the ALS.

According to WebMD, between one and two people per 100,000 develop ALS in the Unites States. Men are slightly more likely than women, and it is most common among middle-aged and older people.

It is rare, but not unheard of, for those as young as Metzler to be affected by the disease. At the University of Miami facility where Metzler receives treatment, only one patient is younger than he is.

Its cause is still not fully understood, though experts believe it to be most likely environmental. Between 5 and 10 percent of diagnosed cases have a family history with the disease. Metzler does not.

Since his diagnosis, Metzler’s condition has sharply declined. He can still walk, but has trouble with his balance. His speech is now slow, and he carries a card in his wallet to inform any necessary parties that he is neither retarded nor drunk.

Metzler opted to continue his duties with the city through June, when the Babe Ruth tournament closed. But since then, he has been sidelined by the disease. City officials say the loss of Metzler has been a blow to the leagues.

“Erik is responsible for so much,” said Babe Ruth umpire Carl Boscarino. “He is the one who came in and brought those playing fields up to an acceptable playing standard. He is the one who got umpires who would stay here and not just leave after officiating one game. His organizational skills just blew me away.”

Metzler still stops by the city every few weeks to offer advise to successors, but no longer works full-time. In January, he starts collecting disability pay.

But at home, Metzler has a strong support system, he said. Besides sharing an apartment with fiancee Stolz, his mother lives next door.

Stolz said the couple spends more time inside than ever. Once a fisherman who enjoyed weekly boating outings, Metzler’s free time in his apartment is now spent surfing the Internet or watching ESPN and the Discovery Channel.

The disease also changed Stolz’s lifestyle. The two regularly used to eat out with friends, but now avoid public outings because of stressful scrutiny.

“It’s hard,” she said through tears. “I see people dancing on TV and I know we can never go out dancing. I would like it a lot if we could still do all of that.”

But she has never entertained thoughts of leaving Metzler, she said. Rather, the couple moved their wedding plans up three months after the diagnosis. They are scheduled to wed Saturday on Marco Island in a ceremony on the beach.

Doctors have assured the couple the disease will not hinder their ability to conceive children. But it does add some consequence.

On average, ALS patients live three to five years following diagnosis. Some live decades, but it is unclear whether Metzler’s youth will work for or against him. Stolz could be left raising any children alone.

Now Metzler is making his game plan without knowing how many innings are left, but he tries to keep up a spirit.

He has volunteered for drug trials, and committed to family to do whatever it takes to extend his life.

“It is better to be proactive,” he said.

But he also has to pace himself, as overexertion could lead to irreparable damage to his system. That is something his sports background did not always train him to do.

“In sports, its always push, push, push,” Metzler said. “Now I have to try and stop myself.

“But having played sports it gives you the focus. I say, this is my goal, to try and stay well.”

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FUNDRAISERS
Cape Coral Babe Ruth League Golf Classic
• When: Nov. 4
• Where: Coral Oaks Golf Course
• Cost: $75 per player; sponsor rates vary from $100 to $5,000
• Proceeds: Erik Metzler, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Babe Ruth League.
For more information, call Bob Ryan, 440-6477

Basketball
• Teams: City of Cape Coral vs. The News-Press
• When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
• Where: Parks and Recreation gym at Oasis Middle School
• Cost: No admission cost, but donations will be accepted.
• Proceeds: Erik Metzler, Muscular Dystrophy Association