News & Stories

Karen Bickett’s ALS Journey

I am a 71 year old woman, I have been with my wife, Sandy, for 35 years and legally married for the last 4 years. We have had a wonderful life together. We have enjoyed hiking, camping, travel, and birdwatching!

We are lucky enough to have a fabulous network of friends and family.

My symptoms started in my leg in August 2017 and it was believed to be related to my back. I was diagnosed with ALS in April 2018 by a neuromuscular neurologist at Kaiser. Since that time I have gone from limping a little and having a raspy voice to being wheelchair bound, on oxygen and using a non-invasive breathing machine. I have assistance now from the Palliative Care Team at Kaiser and will transfer to Hospice soon. I hope to stay in our home as long as possible.

ALS United Rocky Mountain has been our lifeline. After diagnosis, I had to wait 2.5 months to get into the ALS Clinic. We got our support through the ALS United Rocky Mountain. We were given valuable information, home visits, many of our questions were answered, and we were loaned equipment.

The ALS United Rocky Mountain Support Groups continue to help us get through the hand we have been dealt.

We have been blessed with adequate money to make modifications to our home and get needed equipment. This is NOT always the case. Your donations will help ALS United Rocky Mountain provide support for those in need and make a difficult journey easier.

– Karen Bickett
Died September 19, 2019

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