Longtime pals facing big life challenge
By Sandra T. Molina, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 06/22/2008 10:14:34 PM PDT


SANTA FE SPRINGS - The sense of brotherhood felt between lifetime friends Mike Vercoe and Bob Arianis goes beyond blood ties.

The bond began when the two met in their kindergarten class at Daniel Phelan Elementary School.

"We just hit it off because we both like sports," Arianis said.

It continued when they both transferred to Washington Elementary and then moved on to Edwards Junior High School and then Pioneer High School.

"We just got each other," Vercoe said.

These two men, both 41, who were bachelor roommates and were the best men at each other's weddings, have gone through many of life's experiences together.

And now, sadly, they are facing the mortality of one.

Vercoe was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, in January.

It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy, according to the ALS Association, a not-for-profit voluntary health agency.

A little over 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year, with as many as 30,000 Americans with the disease at any given time.

According to the ALS CARE Database, 60 percent of the people with ALS are men, and 93 percent of patients are Caucasian.

Vercoe follows in the category of people between the ages of 40 and 70, who are most likely to get it.

"I tried to hold it together and

stay calm," Vercoe said of his diagnosis. "My wife was with me, and I wanted to be strong for her."

There is no cure for the disease.

Half of all people affected with ALS live at least three or more years after diagnosis. Twenty percent live five years or more; up to 10 percent living more than 10 years.

Although Vercoe, who is the father of three boys - ages 5, 8 and 10 - is still covered by medical insurance from his last employer, McMaster Carr of Santa Fe Springs, the family still needs financial assistance.

That's where Arianis comes in.

He is hosting a fundraiser from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Town Center Hall, 11740 E. Telegraph Road.

For a $30 donation, people 18 and over can participate in a silent auction, poker and dinner.

Some of the items to be auctioned are an autographed baseball by Tommy Lasorda, packages to play rounds of golf and a signed football by former Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo.

The proceeds will add to the family's savings for a home.

"They live in an apartment, and it's hard for Mike to get around," Arianis said. "So whatever I can do to help them buy a home, I will."

Vercoe, who has made a living as a private investigator and a musician before joining Arianis at McMaster Carr, is slowly losing his ability to walk.

He moves around on a motorized scooter.

"It's hard to see him go through this," said Arianis of his pal, who was named the Whittier Daily News' Baseball Player of the Year for 1985.

"There's nobody better," Arianis said. "I don't know anyone who doesn't get along with him."

Vercoe appreciates the love and support from Arianis, and his wife, Yvette, 34, as well as other friends and family.

"He has his own problems and two young children to care for, but he's always there for me," Vercoe said of his friend.

And the love Vercoe has for his family and friends is what makes the disease unbearable.

"I have the disease, but it's the people around me who are affected most by it," he said. "I see the pain on their faces."

For more information on the event or to make a donation, log onto www.http://mikevercoe.wordpress.com or www.augiesquest.org

sandra.molina@sgvn.com

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_9668315