MDA - Thomas Stoltz
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(0) comments on this article (add yours ->)Aug 30 2008 6:59PM
KXMBTV Bismarck
It's a disease that's hard to diagnose...Lou Gerhig's When it comes to A-L-S, doctors rule out everything else, and then if they still don't know what it is... they call it ALS...

It's a quiet killer...

A Dickinson Man by the name of Thomas Stoltz has kept quiet about his disease for a long time.

Doesn't talk much about it.

But when he watched last years MDA telethon he contacted us and decided it was time to tell his story...

"Just wondered what was going on, but didn't think much about it." Thomas Stoltz felt the symptoms 30 years ago..

His wife remembers the exact moment...

"We were going over the Memorial bridge when we first discovered it/ We went over the bridge and it make that noise and I remember him saying my hands are numb, my feet are numb. So what does that mean, we didn't think anything of it." He noticed subtle signs after that, but it wasn't until 4 years ago Thomas officially got the news.

He has Loui Gerrigs Disease.. or ALS "Kinda like why me? Then a guy gets angry for a while, it takes a while to learn to accept it. Some days I still don't

ALS knows know boundaries it can strike anyone at anytime for no reason at all..

For Thomas, ALS means giving up what he loves to do.

"Hunting and fishing or baseball, I used to love baseball. Or just hiking in the country side. It just doesn't work any more."


"He was a young man who could fix cars, he could do any kinds of those things. He loved to go out and play ball with the boys.../as the years went on it became less and less just to get underneath the car and tinker." Sue says their journey has been frightening and frustrating... Today, she watches as the things that used to be so easy for Thomas to do have become almost impossible.

"The swallowing is hard to watch cuz it sounds like he's choking." And, he uses a breathing machine at night..

Thomas admits he's scared for the unknown, he's scared for the day he looses complete muscle control.

"Mind is there but everything else isn't." But, he's also hopeful that one day, all his symptoms will disappear..

(reporter) "Are you hopeful a cure could still be found?" "Ya I'm Hopeful./Get progress reports on their research, they're doing lots of stuff" (reporter) "Do you really believe it will happen?" I think so..

Until then Thomas says every day is a gift.

"I'm just thankful to be alive and moving around as much as I can"


Be sure to watch the Jerry Lewis Telethon on Labor Day.

KX News will be helping to raise money for people like Thomas and the others suffering from muscular dystrophy who live right here in North Dakota. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list

MDA - Thomas Stoltz