'I can't ever give up'
Posted: Monday, Jan 15, 2007 - 12:10:37 am MST


Mike Kelly helps his dad, Thomas Kelly, back into the family’s house in Creston. Kelly contracted Lou Gehrig’s disease 3 1/2 years ago and has been fighting a daily battle against it every day since. A benefit will be held to help with the family’s medical and personal expenses at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Rainbow Bar in Evergreen. “I’ve always worked with my hands, so for me, this has been difficult,” Thomas says. “But every day I wake up thankful to be alive, so every day is great.” Chris Jordan/Daily Inter Lake

By CANDACE CHASE

The Daily Inter Lake

Fundraiser benefits man fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease

Thomas Kelly, 43, fights a daily battle against a fatal enemy — Lou Gehrig’s disease — yet he considers himself fortunate.


“A lot of people are better off than I am but they don’t have the friends I’ve got,” Kelly said.

He laughs at how, over his objections and threats, Mary Danford of Montana PEAKS Inc. and Jim Bailey, a longtime friend, organized a benefit for him and his wife, Bobbie.

Scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Rainbow Bar, the festivities include live and silent auctions for bachelors and bachelorettes, as well as the J.W. Muir double-elk bronze “Autumn Creek,” valued at $2,000.

“The amount of support these guys have gotten for this thing is out of control,” Kelly said with a smile. “There’s a spirit here that you just don’t find anywhere else.”

His friends and area businesses donated auction items including lumber, appliances, a fishfinder and an industrial steel building.

Bailey and Danford say they take inspiration from Kelly as they spread the word about how a financial boost would make his remaining time more comfortable by paying for needed services.

“Tom is a person who would be doing a benefit,” Danford said. “He’s a giver.”

Thomas and Bobbie Kelly became known in the community through a variety of jobs they have held since arriving in the Flathead Valley in 1996. Bobbie serves as director of the local Retired Senior and Volunteer Program, while Thomas worked at Plum Creek and as a carpenter building custom cabinets.

He also farmed for the Mast family in Creston for four years. The Masts allow his family, including two sons, to continue to live in the house near Egan Slough.

“The house we live in is at the end of 750 acres. My nearest neighbor is a half-mile away,” Kelly said. “That house has done more for us than any other one thing.”

Living and working in the Flathead was a dream come true for Kelly, who wanted to come here since planting trees to reforest land near Libby when he was 19 years old. He finally realized that dream by moving here with his wife when he was 33.

But 3 1/2 years ago, a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — dealt the couple a devastating blow. He said the nightmare started with a pain in his shoulder and numbness in his right arm.

“I went to a chiropractor who said, ‘give me six weeks,’” Kelly recalled. “But it didn’t get any better.”

From there, he had tests with a neurosurgeon and then more tests with several other specialists. The diagnosis of ALS came in October 2004 after every other possibility, such as multiple sclerosis, was eliminated.

Kelly said that the doctors didn’t tell him what he had until they were certain of the diagnosis.

“It’s a death sentence,” Kelly said. “There’s no treatment and no cure.”

A progressive disease, ALS attacks the nerve cells of the brain and spinal column which control muscles. As nerve cells die, the patient loses the ability to move muscles, including those which control breathing.

Although theories abound, no one knows what triggers the disease, which strikes about two people in every 100,000. Stem-cell research holds the most promise for a cure.

Bobbie Kelly said that ALS was something that both of them had contemplated as they looked at information available on the Internet. But they never discussed the possibility.

“You think you are prepared for it but there’s no way you can prepare for something like this,” she said.

Thomas Kelly admits that at first he just wouldn’t believe it. He points out that any other diagnosis, even cancer, comes with a measure of hope.

He took some comfort in the survival period estimated by his neurologist back in 2004.

“Back then, three to five years sounded like a lifetime,” Kelly said.

At first, the disease progressed slowly across his shoulders and arms. It went from his right shoulder and arm to his left.

He said he tried many alternative treatments, from vitamins to supplements to hot springs, but nothing worked. Six months ago, the progress of deterioration picked up significantly.

“My legs went from being able to walk [in August] to being in this [wheel]chair in three months,” he said.

Pain has become his constant companion. He described it as the worst muscle cramps a person can experience. Kelly feels that agony in every joint and muscle of his body.

“I take some pain medicine so I can handle it,” he said.

But he said he limits the dosage so he can enjoy the time he has left with a clear mind.

He meets every three months with his neurologist to renew his pain medication and get an evaluation of the progress of the disease. Kelly admits that the last visit was difficult.

“He said I may have just six months,” he said.

But Kelly doesn’t dwell on the future. With the help of Bailey and his two sons, Mike and John, Kelly still enjoys the outdoors.

Bailey said he and Kelly had many great experiences during the past 3 1/2 years.

“I went ice fishing last weekend,” Kelly said with a broad smile. “And I went hunting for two days in October.”

He vowed that he would make two more ice fishing trips, planned for Feb. 3 and March 3. Kelly said that, in spite of the odds, he intends to fight ALS to the finish.

Kelly and his wife have learned to live one day at a time and adapt to each new challenge. He added that everyone should approach life that way and value their friends and loved ones above all else.

He amazes his friends with the courage and sense of humor he maintains in the face of daily struggles.

“My faith allows me to go on. I can’t ever give up,” he said. “God has a purpose and you leave it in his hands.”

People who want to make a tax-deductible donation may call Danford at 261-5140 for information.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.
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