ALS victim tries to live life to the fullest
Lou Gehrig's disease has no happy endings, Golden couple says


By Emily Hois write the author









Photo by CHRISTOPHER STARK Susan Vidrik demonstrates Wednesday, Feb. 22, how she helps her husband, Dave, into bed with a lift system attached to the ceiling of the bedroom in their Genesse home. Dave Vidrik was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, in October 2003. The couple will attend the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Gift of Time St. Patrick's Day Bash, which benefits people with similar disabilities.


March 01, 2007
Sitting in a wheelchair in his Genesee living room, Dave Vidrik recalled the days he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and each of Colorado's Fourteeners.

It was only a few years ago.

Vidrik was completely healthy before the fall of 2003. He scuba dived, camped and ran around with his grandchildren.

That was before September 2005, when he became confined to a wheelchair.


In October 2003, Vidrik was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, aka Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

ALS is a fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles.

Most people afflicted with the disease die from respiratory failure within three to five years from the onset of symptoms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. About 10 percent of ALS patients, however, survive for 10 or more years, the institute reports.

To help find a cure for the disease that affects hundreds in Colorado, several Denver area residents teamed up with business leader Brad Bennett, CEO of Chateau Development, his wife, Suzanne Bennett, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association to hold the first Gift of Time St. Patrick's Day Bash. The goal is to raise $1 million in donations and sponsorships at the event. An anonymous donor will match the final amount raised.

People are more reluctant to donate for this type of disease, because there are no happy endings, Vidrik and his wife, Susan Vidrik, agreed.

Dave Vidrik's case began with twitches in his left arm.

"I thought I had a pinched nerve," he recalled.

The twitching crossed his chest, and the Vidriks went to see a doctor. When Dave Vidrik was told about the neuromuscular disease, "At first I was like, 'Oh, what pill do I have to take?'" he said.

"I don't think I knew the extent of what they were talking about," Susan Vidrik said. "When they told me it was a fatal disease, then I was just freaked out."

The doctor told the Vidriks something they've never forgotten: "You need to live your life, because if you don't, you're not going to have one," Susan Vidrik said. "We really do take that to heart."

While Dave Vidrik could still walk, the couple took a trip to Alaska and enjoyed a cruise to Hawaii.

"We're just going to do as much as we can for as long as we can," Susan Vidrik said.

Doing what they can

Dave's arms and breathing were the first to be affected. He lost control of his hands and his breathing dropped to 30 percent of normal before leveling off.

If it gets any worse, the Vidriks will have to decide whether they want to install a breathing tube.

His second year of the disease, Dave lost the ability to move his legs.

For a period, he tried to find a reason that ALS struck him.

He thought about his days at Arvada West High School, where he and some friends started the heavy rock band, "The Scandal."

He thought about touring around the country in the late 1970s and early '80s, playing keys and soaking up the rock star lifestyle.

"(Dave) really led a pretty full — wild in the beginning — life," Susan Vidrik said.

But he couldn't find an answer.

"There is no reason," Susan Vidrik said.

But the couple remains in good spirits.

"It sucks on the one hand," Dave Vidrik said. "On the other hand, I'm still here — still watching my grandchildren grow up. I have my bad days, but I don't let it get to me."

Susan Vidrik believes it's her husband's lighthearted attitude that allows him to persevere with optimism.

"He's easygoing, laid back. I think that helps a lot with Dave being able to deal with it," she said.

The Vidriks venture to Las Vegas when they can. Four of Steve Wynn's casinos on the strip have rooms with a lift system, which moves Dave Vidrik from his wheelchair into bed.

They're planning to take a gambling trip in May.

"(The casinos) are more than happy to take my money," he laughed. "They don't care if you're handicapped."

The upside to the fatal disease, Susan Vidrik said, is that it doesn't affect the brain or heart, so Dave Vidrik will remain lucid.

"I think it's really taught us that you definitely can't take life for granted," she said.

"It's made us realize to live life to the fullest as long as you can."

It sounds cliché, Susan said.

"But when it really happens to you, it's not cliché."

FUNDRAISER

The St. Patrick's Bash will be Saturday, March 17, at the Donald R. Seawell Ballroom of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. More than 500 guests are expected to attend. For sponsorship and event information, call 303-691-3331.

THE DISEASE

• As many as 20,000 Americans have Lou Gehrig's disease, aka ALS, and an estimated 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with it each year.

• ALS is one of the most common neuromuscular diseases worldwide and commonly strikes people between 40 and 60 years of age. Men are affected more often than women.

• In 90 percent to 95 percent of all ALS cases, the disease occurs apparently at random with no clearly associated risk factors.

• About 5 to 10 percent of all ALS cases are inherited.

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke