TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – On Sunday, people in ballparks across the U.S. honored baseball legend Lou Gehrig, and raised awareness for the disease that he fought at the end of his life: ALS.
Over 80 years after his death, researchers are still looking for a cure.
According to the ALS Association, an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 Ohioans are living with ALS.
One of those people is Roseann Hickman. Her family says she’s a positive and upbeat member of the community. They also say she’s a fighter, and she agrees, typing a message on her phone reading “I won’t stop.”
Hickman lost her ability to speak after she was diagnosed with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that takes away people’s ability to speak, walk, swallow, and eventually breath.
While ALS took her speech, Hickman says it did not take away her voice.
“My sister, ever since she’s been diagnosed with ALS has been an advocate and warrior from the very start,” said Laura Garber, Hickman’s sister.
In addition to working as an advocate and sitting on legislative committees, Hickman is the co-chair for the Mudhen’s annual Lou Gehrig Day. It’s held on June 2, the day Gehrig began his record-setting streak of consecutive games played, and the day he died from ALS over eight decades ago.
Hickman and her husband Rob said Gehrig’s story continues to raise awareness for the disease today.
“She explains that she has ALS and they look at her inquisitive, and then she’ll type in Lou Gehrig’s disease and people will go ‘oh, ok.’ So just the importance of what he started, what’s continued, we’ve got to find a cure,” Mr. Hickman said.
Roseann Hickman said she wants to work towards making ALS a liveable disease. She encouraged people to reach out to legislators, contact ALS Associations, and lend a hand to someone fighting ALS.
“I’m the co-chair of the ALS Walk to defeat ALS being held here in Toledo on Oct. 6. Come out and support those who are battling and honor those we’ve lost,” Hickman wrote in a message on her phone.
The ALS Association offers free services for people living with ALS including support groups, consultation, equipment loan, financial assistance, technology support, education, home visits, symptom management tools and more.
“Reach out to us so that we can get them registered so they can get our services. All of our services are free,” said Lisa Barnes, an ALS Association care service coordinator for Toledo.
Like Lou Gehrig, who called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth,” Hickman said she has so much to live and fight for.
“ALS cannot take away my joy. I find the blessings in each moment I am here, I am grateful for all my support from my friends and family. Yes, I have ALS, but ALS doesn’t have me,” Hickman wrote in a message on her phone.
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