4 days ago
Tommy Smith – Battling ALS one day at a time
COLUMBUS, Ga (WRBL) – When Tommy Smith was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis back in 2012, his family reacted like any family would. Rallying together around Smith, and that gracious support from his community has benefited Smith in more ways than he can express.
ALS robs the body of the ability to walk, talk, eat, work, and in the worst cases the ability to breathe. Relatively, Tommy Smith has been lucky. Where most cases of ALS have a 2-5 year life expectancy, Smith is on year thirteen.
For Tommy – ALS has so far robbed him of being a little league umpire, playing with his grandkids without a wheelchair, and speaking normally.
That said – it has not been easy.
Luckily for Tommy Smith, there's Vickie Smith. The couple met when Tommy was nine years old, and Vickie was seven as next door neighbors. They have been together just short of 46 years.
Vickie has been Tommy's caregiver ever since his diagnosis, and has done everything in her power to provide for Tommy. Over the past couple of years, Vickie has had her own health problems. Recently being declared cancer-free, after her second fight with Breast Cancer.
Obviously with a disease like ALS, the medical bills pile up quickly. The average cost to care for a person with ALS is $250,000.
Major League Baseball has stepped up to the plate in recent years, recognizing those that suffer from the same disease as Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig. Gehrig's name is forever intertwined with the disease, as many refer to it as 'Lou Gehrig's disease'.
You can see WRBL's feature of Tommy and Vickie Smith's battle with ALS in the video player above. You can also assist by donating to the Tommy Smith ALS Foundation, on Facebook.
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