Father, 39, Has 1 Minor Symptom. Then He's Given 2 Years to Live After 'Devastating' Diagnosis
A Florida man's muscle spasms seemed harmless at first, but eventually progressed and led to a devastating diagnosis
Andres Albaladejo was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2023
His wife Carmen has become his primary caretaker at home and has been documenting the family's journey on TikTokWhen a Florida man first noticed muscle spasms in one of his arms, he wasn't immediately concerned that it could be a symptom of something more serious.
Andres Albaladejo, 41, and his wife Carmen told the Daily Mail that they first noticed the twitching in his left arm around April 2023.
'It was bizarre. I asked if he could feel it, if he was doing anything to make it twitch, but he said no,' she said.
The spasms progressed for Albaladejo and he soon experienced arm weakness, difficulty gripping things, and high blood pressure, Newsweek reported. Within months, doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a condition that causes progressive loss of muscle control.
'I was heartbroken when I heard the news, like my life was being taken from me piece by piece – I still have so much of me to give,' he told DM.
"Hearing the diagnosis was devastating, we were in complete shock,' Carmen said to Newsweek. 'Sitting in that doctor's office, the weight of it all hit us at once. We broke down in tears. It was one of the hardest moments of our lives, filled with fear, sorrow, and so many unanswered questions.'
ALS symptoms can include difficulty walking, tripping, and slurred speech, among others, and it often first appears in the hands, feet, arms, or legs, according to the Mayo Clinic. There is no cure, but medical treatment can slow the disease's progress.
Life changed in an instant for Albaladejo, who used to work as a school resource officer, and he worried about his family's future, including his 11-year-old daughter Sophia. He was 39 years old when he received the diagnosis in late 2023, according to Newsweek.
'I'm angry that I won't be here to see my little girl grow into the smart, kind, and beautiful woman I know she will be. I think that hurts the most,' Albaladejo said. 'Instead, she has to watch me fall apart in front of her eyes.'
But he wants to leave a legacy she can be proud of. 'I just hope that throughout all of this, my daughter still sees me as her hero, as I face this disease with determination and strength,' he added.
Daily life in Tampa has shifted drastically for the couple, who started dating when they were teenagers.
'In eight months, our lives completely changed. We thought it was nerve compression, and now Albaladejo has a terminal illness with a prognosis of two to five years,' Carmen told the Daily Mail.
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Per Newsweek, Albaladejo relies on a wheelchair to get around and Carmen has become her husband's primary caregiver.
"To see someone go from being completely independent to nearly fully dependent in under two years is truly heartbreaking," she told Newsweek.
Carmen has been documenting the family's journey on TikTok and Albaladejo's sister started a GoFundMe that has already raised more than $26,000.
'It's a cruel condition that robs a person of their vitality, strength and mobility,' Carmen wrote online in 2024. 'It's been a rough year for us and even through it all, we still do what we can to just live life every day.'
Although there's no cure, the Albaladejo family is pressing forward as best they can.
'At this point, we are getting our affairs in order, as we cannot see any promising treatments we can afford,' Carmen told the Daily Mail. 'We are trying to stay strong and make the best out of our situation.'
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
US Could Make Childbirth Free, To Tackle Falling Birth Rates
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. America could make childbirth free for privately-insured families, in an effort to tackle declining birth rates. The bipartisan Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act, which would designate maternity care as an essential health benefit under the Affordable Care Act, was introduced in the Senate in May. If passed, insurance companies would be required to cover all childbirth-related expenses, including prenatal care, ultrasounds, delivery and postpartum care, without any co-pays or deductibles. Medicaid, America's government‐funded health insurance program, already covers these costs. Democratic New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who has cosponsored the bill, told Newsweek: "Even with insurance, the costs associated with having a baby can be astronomical, and expenses are even greater for women who have health complications during pregnancy, a high-deductible insurance plan, or gaps in their coverage. By requiring insurance companies to fully cover care throughout pregnancy and a year postpartum, this bill will make childbirth more affordable for families." It comes amid growing concerns about America's population. Fertility rates are projected to average 1.6 births per woman over the next three decades, according to the Congressional Budget Office's latest forecast released this year. This number is well below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman required to maintain a stable population without immigration. The Donald Trump administration has made this issue one of its priorities, the White House exploring giving women a "baby bonus" of $5,000, according to an April New York Times report. Many trying to tackle this global issue have called for public health policies and financial plans to help make it easier for couples to have children in society. The financial crisis and its effect on housing, inflation and pay is generally named as a major contributor to people's decisions to delay having children, to have fewer children or not to have them at all. Republican Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who introduced the bill along with Gillibrand, Democratic Virginia Senator Time Kaine and Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, said she hopes her bill will help change this. "Bringing a child into the world is costly enough without piling on cost-share fees that saddle many mothers and families with debt. This legislation would take away some of the burden for childbearing generations," she said in May. "By relieving financial stresses associated with pregnancy and childbirth, hopefully more families will be encouraged to embrace the beautiful gift and responsibility of parenthood." Would Making Childbirth Free Help Birth Rates in America? Pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care average a total of $18,865 with average out-of-pocket payments totaling $2,854, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research organization, based on data from claims between 2018 and 2022. Financial concerns are repeatedly cited as a reason for not having children. Indeed, just a few days ago, the United Nations Population Fund warned of a global birth rate crisis, after finding that one in five had not had or did not expect to have the number of children they wanted. Some 39 percent said this was because of financial limitations. But Suzanne Bell, who studies fertility and related behaviors with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said that while "making childbirth cheaper or free is incredibly important," she does not think it will effect the birth rate. "The cost of raising a child, in particular the cost of child care, is very high and far outweighs the cost of childbirth," she told Newsweek. "We desperately need policies that support families with the cost of child care, especially families with low incomes." Beth Jarosz, a senior program director U.S. programs at the Population Reference Bureau, agreed that "reducing health care costs is important, but may not be enough to move the needle on births." "The cost of childbirth is just one of the many costs of having a child, and people are also reeling from the much bigger costs of child care, housing, and other necessities," she told Newsweek. Theodore D Cosco, a research fellow at the University of Oxford's Institute of Population Aging, called the bill "a step in the right direction" but said the same as Bell and Jarosz. "Parents generally aren't deciding whether to have children based on a $3,000 delivery bill, they're looking at the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent actually raising the child," he told Newsweek. But he added: "The policy certainly carries some symbolic weight, signaling bipartisan support for families and could potentially help build momentum for broader reforms, such as child care subsidies or paid parental leave." Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva Is It Just About Money? The other concern is that, while financial concerns are generally accepted as a major contributor to declining birth rates, they are not the lone cause. Bell said that even the policies she calls for "are also unlikely to increase the birth rate, as evidence from other countries with much more supportive policies suggest." Norway is considered a global leader in parental leave and child care policies, and the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) ranks it among the top countries for family-friendly policies. But it too is facing a birth rate crisis. Norway offers parents 12 months of shared paid leave for birth and an additional year each afterward. It also made kindergarten (similar to a U.S. day care) a statutory right for all children aged one or older in 2008. The government subsidizes the policy to make it possible for "women and men to combine work and family life," as Norway's former Minister of Children, Equality, and Social Inclusion Solveig Horne said at a parental leave event in 2016. And yet, Norway's fertility rate has dropped dramatically from 1.98 children per woman in 2009 to 1.44 children per woman in 2024, according to official figures. The rate for 2023 (1.40) was the lowest ever recorded fertility rate in the country. Financial barriers "are only part of the picture," Cosco said, "psychological, cultural, and structural factors matter too." Newsweek spoke to several experts about Norway specifically, who all cited recent culture changes. For example, "young adults are more likely to live alone" and "young couples split up more frequently than before," Rannveig Kaldager Hart, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health's Centre for Fertility and Health said. He went on to speak about "intensive parenting," which refers to the modern parenting style in which parents invest time, money and energy into creating successful adults. The expectations of this parenting style "may cause some to postpone or have fewer children than they otherwise would," Hart said. Nevertheless, backers of the American bill seem to believe that it may be part of the solution. "Being pro-family means fostering an economy that makes it feasible to raise a child. But too often, parents find themselves dealing with sky-high medical bills following the birth of a child. This legislation would eliminate out-of-pocket maternity costs for families with private health insurance and prohibit private carriers from imposing cost-sharing on beneficiaries, empowering parents to focus on what matters most," said Hawley.
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Woman Wants to Improve Mental Health Before 50th, Then She Dropped 100lbs
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Growing up in New England in the late 1980s and 1990s, Lisa Fuller recalls a childhood fueled by microwave meals and as she got older, her eating habits shifted to fast food and frequent dining out. By age 30, Fuller was obese. An active day for her amounted to only 1,000 steps, and her lifestyle took a toll not only on her physical health but also on her mental well-being. She relied heavily on medication to manage anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). "In my forties, I gave up the notion that I would get better and just conceded that this is just how it goes with aging—I would just get fatter and unhealthier until I eventually die," Fuller, a mom of one, told Newsweek. In May 2024, she reached her heaviest weight of 253 pounds. With her 50th birthday approaching in August this year, she decided it was time to make a change. Fuller weighed 253lbs at her heaviest and wore size 28-30 clothing. A more recent image showcasing her size 4 physique, weighing 143lbs. Fuller weighed 253lbs at her heaviest and wore size 28-30 clothing. A more recent image showcasing her size 4 physique, weighing 143lbs. Lisa Fuller/Ultimate Performance "I suddenly felt an overwhelming drive to take back my life and really, truly, make sure I live in the time I have left," she said. "I was tired of being the only fat person in the room, and I hated that my son was 24 and had never seen me healthy." Having never stepped foot inside a gym, Fuller was consuming around 5,000 to 6,000 calories per day. This included more than five cocktails a night. Combined with her history of mental health struggles, she knew she needed support. Living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, she turned to Ultimate Performance (UP), a global personal training company. Her new routine involved two weekly weight training sessions with her trainer, Konstantinos Koniaris, and walking 10,000 steps per day. Several months later, she added an additional weight training session, increased her steps to between 15,000 and 20,000 daily, and incorporated 30 to 45 minutes of stationary bike cardio four times a week. Her calorie intake has decreased massively, starting at 1,790 calories and eventually reduced down to 1,390 calories. Now it is 1,940 calories per day as she is focusing on building muscle. Today, she rarely drinks alcohol and her diet mainly consists of meat, vegetables or salad, Greek yogurt and nuts. Fuller with her son, 24, and a recent image of her posing in the middle wearing a blue two piece. Fuller with her son, 24, and a recent image of her posing in the middle wearing a blue two piece. Lisa Fuller She said: "I fully expected to fail at this. Because of that, I didn't tell anyone I was doing it. Only a handful of people I worked with, and my spouse and son knew. I didn't want anyone to know because I was sure I would give up, as I had many times before during the past two decades of being obese." But she didn't give up. Exactly one year later, she had dropped 110 pounds, reaching a 143-pound, size 4 body. "To be fit just in time for my 50th is truly unreal—like it doesn't feel real," she told Newsweek. "Even when I started this program, my goal wasn't to get 'fit' because I thought that was impossible. My goal was only to be healthy enough that I wasn't waking up in a panic every night afraid I was going to die." Lisa Fuller with her personal trainer Konstantinos Koniaris in the middle of her journey and recently. Lisa Fuller with her personal trainer Konstantinos Koniaris in the middle of her journey and recently. Ultimate Performance Although the physical benefits were a motivating factor, it's the mental health improvements that have been most profound. "I have a long history of anxiety, panic, and OCD. This became severe enough in the past that I was hospitalized for it in 2009. At that time, I was put on a whole variety of medications and some things worked better than others, but nothing 'fixed' me fully," she said. "I didn't want to live on psych drugs, so I made a big effort to wean off everything I could and do my best to manage what I could without medication." Just before she started the program, Fuller accidentally ran out of her prescription for Prozac, an antidepressant. Though it's not advised to abruptly stop medication, she decided to continue without it since it was already nearly out of her system. "I didn't make a proactive, deliberate choice to stop Prozac because I was starting the program, but it worked out that way by accident. So, I decided to go as long as I could without it," she said. "I honestly thought at most I might make it to two months. And now, six months into my program, not only have I not needed it, but I also haven't even thought about it." Even while on medication, Fuller experienced panic attacks and frequent nighttime awakenings. She told Newsweek: "It used to take me around three hours to fall asleep most nights because my anxiety would be so high at the end of the day. Now I fall asleep almost immediately and only get up to go to the bathroom. And I don't have panic attacks anymore—at night, or in the day. "I never expected this outcome. It wasn't even something I 'hoped' for because, honestly, I didn't think it was a possibility. My focus was on my physical health. I expected I would, in general, feel better mentally, but I didn't expect this. I truly feel like this has given me a second chance at life."
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Pregnant Mom Captures Baby Bump, 2 Weeks Later She's Fighting for Her Life
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A pregnant woman from Calgary, Canada, was ready to start her new life as a mom, not knowing she'd be fighting for her life just two weeks later. Arianne Jones, 34, gave birth to a healthy baby boy on January 22. During labor, she suffered a second-degree tear on her perineum after the umbilical cord had been wrapped around her son's neck and was monitored overnight. Her husband, 42-year-old Jeff Christie, was by her side, and the family of three were able to go home the next morning. Arianne Jones cradling her baby bump during her maternity photoshoot. Arianne Jones cradling her baby bump during her maternity photoshoot. @ariannejones "Everything was pretty normal... until it wasn't," Jones told Newsweek. Jones, a former Olympic tobogganer, was rushed to the postpartum unit with an unexplained infection. "That's when stuff started devolving quite rapidly," Christie recalled. After 48 hours, Jones's blood pressure was dangerously low and she was admitted to the intensive care unit where she spent the next 21 days in an induced coma and 29 days on a ventilator. "Everyone was trying their best, but no one knew what was going on. It was the absolute worst," Christie said. Eventually, after intense reading and researching, doctors identified the cause: a rare bacterial infection with only 50 documented cases worldwide. They also explained that, at the time, there were only two people known to have survived the infection by removing their uteruses. Christie told Newsweek that his wife's blood profiles were in such dire condition, the doctors weren't sure they could perform the life-saving surgeries she so desperately needed. With their son, River, at home, the new dad told Newsweek that he became a "mass project manager" over the next few weeks. Family flew in from different states to help with childcare while Christie could be in the hospital to support his wife. "I called my parents, and I was just like, guys, Arianne's going to the ICU. I have no idea what's going on, I need you to raise River. I need to focus on my wife," he said. Jones had 12 surgeries in total, including the removal of her uterus and ovaries. After months of trial and error, the doctors had finally sourced control of the infection. Jones told Newsweek that her first memory is waking up in the hospital. "I had a breathing tube in and couldn't move any muscle in my body," she said. "That was the most terrifying moment of my life." Post-surgery, Jones had to relearn basic functions, such as breathing and swallowing. She's had to do months of work to regain some key internal functions as well as movement in her body, but after 125 days, Jones has been discharged from the hospital. She told Newsweek that they've been through all kinds of emotions, from feeling robbed of the magic of being new parents to anger at the situation. "We've gone through a lot of anger, like, why us? Why me? There's no answer to that," she said. "But also, there's a lot of gratitude. I think we just have very different perspectives on life. We're not sweating the small stuff for sure." Christie recalled a touching moment between the two of them a week after she regained her voice. "[Arianne] said, 'I'm really sorry for this process has made you a single parent for so long.' And I looked back at her and said, 'It's the exact opposite. Because you fought so hard, you didn't make me a single parent.'" While Jones still needs to process it all, she told Newsweek that she has a newfound sense of clarity on life. "[Our] new mantra we've been going off is if something's not a hell yes, it's a no," she said. Sharing awareness and factual information on her platform about the infection has also a become new purpose. "The more that we can get the knowledge out there, then maybe we can help someone else," Christie said.
