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MASSARO: Coloradan with Lou Gehrig's isn't giving up
By Gary Massaro, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Friday, February 8, 2008




Jim and Lecia West with children Logan, left, and Vincent.


Jim West wondered what was wrong when his balance wasn't quite right and he'd started slurring.

So he went to the doctor about two years ago. Tests showed he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease, which attacks the motor neurons and affects muscle movement. There's no cure. There's only hope that recent research with mice might work on humans some day.

ALS claims its victims in three to five years, on average. It's a harsh prognosis, especially for Jim and his family - wife Lecia and sons Logan, 5, and Vincent, 4.

"The thing I have the most trouble with is that my boys will never see me do the things that I did in the past - play soccer, mountain bike or ski," said Jim, an electrical engineer. "It is difficult for the boys to understand what is happening. After my recent hospital stay, Vincent asked me if my legs were all better. I cried about that for several days."

Jim and Lecia are involved in the annual fundraiser - MDA's Gift of Time/Augie's Quest. Last year, about 90 cents of each dollar raised - nearly $900,000 - went to the Muscular Dystrophy Association's research for ALS. This year's event will be Saturday, March 15, at the Denver Hyatt Regency.

Volunteers are still seeking sponsors as well as donations for the auction. Information: mdagiftoftime.com.

About 8,000 new cases of ALS are diagnosed yearly.

Lecia, a nurse, and Jim visited Therapy Development Institute, a research lab in Cambridge, Mass., in November. She said research to slow the progression in mice is promising. But there's still nothing for humans.

Jim's parents moved to Colorado from Oklahoma to be close to the family. Lecia said members of Good Shepard Episcopal Church have pitched in to watch their sons, walk their dog, cook.

Jim, 42, and Lecia, 43, met at church when both were studying for their master's degrees at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa - Jim in electrical engineering and Lecia in public health.

"The church had student dinners every Tuesday night," she said. "The church didn't have a pastor. So a lot of the planning and preparation were done by the students. Jim and I were the oldest, so we started going grocery shopping. He's a great cook. I just kind of hung out."

They married in 1994.

Jim had worked for NASA, but tired soon of the frequent transfers. So he and Lecia moved to a two-story home in Centennial. Then they moved again into a ranch house in Greenwood Village, making it easier for Jim to move around.

Although the outcome appears certain, barring a miracle cure, Jim said he's not giving up.

Soon after the initial diagnosis, he held up his right index finger and told neighbors and friends, "As long as this finger works, I can work."


massarog@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5271
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...s-isnt-giving/