Turning lemons into chocolate
By Joelyn Hansen/Daily Sun staff writer
Saturday, Jun 21, 2008 - 01:05:32 am CDT


Photo by Joelyn Hansen/Daily Sun staff
Ruth Fritz, diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in July 2006, believes there is hope in all things and there are angels among us.


Do you believe there are angels among us?

Ruth Fritz does; in fact, she knows there are.

Despite the challenges faced by Fritz, diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in July 2006, she knows there are angels around her, she said. It only makes sense when she considers all that she has.

A few years ago, Fritz began noticing the change in her physical behavior. Her husband, John, started noticing she was walking differently in the fall of 2004, while she noticed she was stumbling more at work.

She was also showing significant weight loss and weakness.

In hindsight, she now recognizes it as early symptoms of ALS.

“There are some things that started happening in the beginning,” she said.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, causing muscle weakness and atrophy.

Yet it is unlike other neurological diseases, Fritz said. There is no definitive test that can be done to determine diagnosis, she said, and it took doctors several months to make a final diagnosis. There is also no same denominator that links cases together.

Doctors usually have to test for everything else and observe the body over time before they are able to come to a final diagnosis, she said.

Since her diagnosis, Fritz has lost the strength in her legs, arms and now her hands, she said. She was taking Riluteck, the only drug available to ALS patients, that helps slow progression, but she stopped taking it a month ago because of the medication’s side effects.

Eventually, she will lose all function in her muscles, including in her diaphragm and throat, leaving her without the ability to speak or swallow.

But Fritz doesn’t let the fact there is no cure for ALS bother her as she knows there are two things you can expect in life: you’re born and you die.

“I don’t feel handicapped,” she said. “I look around and know that God’s in control. I’m not scared of death, I’ve got Jesus in my heart.”

Fritz said on the day she and her family found out about the diagnosis, her daughter, Gena, asked her, “Do you know what you do with lemons?”

“When the world gives you lemons, you make lemonade,” Gena said.

Fritz quickly replied that she hated lemonade. That’s when she and her daughter began to cry and decided they would try to turn those lemons into chocolate. Since then, she has always looked to find the sweet.

Fritz may have lost the strength in her muscles, but she has not lost the strength of her spirit or the strength of the people around her, she said.

“The people around me I call angels,” she said.

The first angels on her list of those of her family, which includes her husband, John and four children, Anita, Tricia, David and Gena.

John has really stepped up to help take care of her and there is no doubt in her mind that he loves her, she said.

“My husband is a great man,” she said.

Her children have been a great source of strength too, she said. She has been able to watch them grow, finish college, wed and even have children of their own.

She was fortunate in May to see her son married.

“It was a beautiful wedding,” she said. “That was one of my goals -- to make it through that wedding.”

Another team of angels has supported her, her husband and their four children by bringing food in, helping financially and even lending a hand when needed, she said. A group of mystery angels also purchased a wheelchair-friendly van.

Morrie Schwartz, written about by Mitch Albom, has also provided support to Fritz as she reads about his own advice about letting go of struggles and celebrating and recognizing what we do have, she said.

“We’re accepting those losses and dealing with them,” she said.

Fritz has tried all that she can to spread that hope to others she, said.

“One of my mottos is if you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours,” she said.

When she first began coming to the Paddock-Kensington during the day, Fritz said she would often get asked why she just didn’t build up some muscle and get out of her wheelchair, she said. With the help of Shirleen Wolfe, it was suggested Fritz teach the residents about ALS.

Fritz recalled the time when she was doing some research about ALS, when one of the men, who was not always the friendliest, asked her what she was doing. She mentioned that she was doing research about Lou Gehrig’s disease.

As she mentioned the name, the gentleman got caught up in talking about the baseball player Lou Gehrig and how great of an athlete he was.

At that point Fritz told the man that she was dying of that same disease that killed Lou Gehrig.

His face froze, she said. After that, she noticed that his whole demeanor changed.

Her goal in telling them wasn’t to bring empathy for herself, she said. But, to encourage them to continue to have hope.

“We all have problems, disease, ailments,” she said. “You just learn to do your best.”

She has since given the same presentation to nursing students at the college, she said.

Fritz has much to be thankful for and plans to embrace everything she can, she said.

“My goal is to live life to the fullest until it’s over,” she said.


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