"Whistle, David" Chapter 1

It all started on 14 Aug 1967, there I was naked for the first time in in front of everyone without a care in the world. Oh wait! Wrong story.

I want you to join me as I tell you my ALS story for the rest of my life. I hope by telling you my story it will help you or someone you know understand a little more about ALS from a personal perspective. Everyone’s ALS story is different this is mine. Dun-dun… (Think Law and Order).

In March of 2020 during Covid, Government employees were required to take the Covid Vaccine. Being an Army Soldier for over 21 years I did not think anything about it. Like a good Soldier I got in line bent over and got my shot. Just like everyone else, wait come to think of it I was the only one to do that, but I digress. One week later in early April my wife Laura asked me why was my eye twitching. Of course like a “man” I said “I don’t know it just does”. A few days later she asked me what was the red, sunk in spot on my lip, and again I gave her the same answer. About two weeks after the shot I noticed my tongue was constantly moving like a bag of worms. (technical term “Fasciculation” is a brief, spontaneous contraction affecting a small number of muscle fibers, often causing a flicker of movement under the skin. It can be a symptom of disease of the motor neurons.) So I showed Laura and again thought whatever, it’s a cool party trick.

Thirty days after my first shot again like a good Solider I got back in line and got my second shot (Moderna). The symptoms from the first shots were still there and within a few weeks of the second shot I was having difficulty pursing my lips and blowing. Laura asked me to whistle and I had a hard time doing that. I have always been able to whistle so I knew something was wrong. For the next month Laura would ask me to “whistle David” and it kind of became a joke among us. I was too busy with my new dream job, volunteering as a platoon leader with a national organization and I just started my own program Victory Gardens For Vets. Although this was a concern I did not think much of it, not knowing this was only the beginning of something more….