[TheForge] Re: Doug Henderson

[Harland Johnson]

Lou Gehrigs'  disease  slowly causes loss of motor control, but usually  the 
mind remains alert and sharp to the end. It is now more commonly called 
"A.L.S."  This was the illness that took my mother-in-law.  She fought it 
with  as much dignity as possible  for more than 3 years,  but she had a 
"living will" calling for no feeding tubes.  That way the end comes, when 
the swallowing reflex fails. 

The more common welder's associated disease is Parkinson's (P.D.) , which 
similarly steals motor skills, but also has another component: demensia. PD 
and ALS use many of the same drugs to stave off the effects of the diseases, 
for a while.   There is currently no cure for either, but stem cell research 
offers the best hope. 


Dann Johnson
*********
Mike Linn writes: 

> 
> I think you meant Doug Hendrickson has Lou Gehrigs disease. 
>