Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS, is a progressive and fatal disease that destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle decay and loss of voluntary movement. It was named after Lou Gehrig, who was a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees. He got diagnosed with ALS and that forced him out of his career. This is when the disease gained national recognition. It’s a horrible disease that can happen to anyone at any time. The symptoms start off with muscle cramps, weakness in limbs, and slurred speech. It progresses to difficulty doing daily activities like eating and walking. The final stages are near total body paralysis and inability to breathe on your own, with only your cognitive senses left intact. 

       Since their opening in 1985, the ALS Foundation has worked to find a cure for the disease for over 40 years. You may have seen it through the “ice bucket challenge” in 2014 where people were challenged to pour ice water over their heads, would also challenge their friends and family, and then donate to the ALS Foundation. This was more than just a trend to me. My grandpa had ALS and was diagnosed at the age of 59. He passed at 64. My grandma was always by his side as the disease progressed throughout his body. My grandma was starting to struggle to take care of him while trying to be a good mother to her 3 daughters. Because of this he had to move to a nursing home, but also it was starting to become too difficult to live at home. My grandpa eventually passed away at that nursing home. 

       The most prominent memory I have of my grandpa being in the nursing home was when I was about 3 years old, running around the nursing home and then getting yelled at by my mom. Grandpa was in his “big red chair”, which was just a red wheelchair. I swear it looked bigger when I was 3. Now at 21 years old, I’ve realized earlier that this chair was his life and how he could get around, because his legs went into total paralysis. 

       After my grandpa’s passing, my grandma moved in with us and has been living with us ever since. One day we were going through her drawers and helping her organize when I came across the book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albolm. My mom and grandma said I wasn’t old enough to read it yet because it included more mature content. So, a few years later I came across it again and got the chance to read it for the first time around 7th grade. With over 17 million copies sold, translated into 45 languages, and reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list in 1998, remaining on the list for nearly 206 weeks, which is nearly four years, I don’t have to tell you that this book changed people’s perspectives on life. 

       For those of you who aren’t familiar with the book, it’s a memoir about how Mitch and Morrie, his professor who got diagnosed with ALS, rekindled their relationship and then would meet up every Tuesday. Throughout these weekly meetings, Morrie would share stories of his life and provide life lessons to Mitch. Some lessons include regrets, the fear of aging, and forgiveness before Morrie’s final moments. I chose these three moments because I thought that they could be the most relevant to anyone who reads this. When related to regrets and the fear of aging, they are closely related because people tend to think about if they have any regrets when their age is going up and time is running out. 

Before Mitch made a list of topics that he wanted to learn about from Morrie, what sparked that idea was the mention of regrets. “...the culture doesn’t encourage you to think about such things until you’re about to die. We’re so wrapped up with egotistical things, career, family, having enough money, meeting the mortgage, getting a new car, fixing the radiator when it breaks - we’re involved in trillions of little acts just to keep going” (Albom, 64-65). I think that’s so true in many people’s lives. It’s hard to slow your life down until you’re forced to. I’m not a stranger to not living in the day it is and trust me, it gets to a point where I’m so burnt out that I either keep going or crash immediately. It’s always interesting to hear various answers when asked if people have regrets. I try to live my life without regrets, but I’m only human and of course there are some things I would do differently. On the other hand, I think that everything happens for a reason and that I’m going through certain scenarios because that’s just how I’m supposed to grow as a person. Based on regrets, I wouldn’t doubt that my grandpa had any. I truly believed that he wouldn’t change how he lived his life and what it had in store for him. 

       “‘Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others’” (Albom, 164). This is the first line in the chapter about forgiveness. It’s sometimes hard to forgive someone or something, trust me I understand. Having compassion toward yourself can lead to a bigger change towards other people. If someone can forgive themselves for what they have done, then it would be easier to forgive others for their mistakes. At the end of the day, we're human and bound to make mistakes. It’s everyone’s first time living their life. We need compassion and forgiveness from others to learn and grow from. Even though I was very young at the time and don’t have a lot of memories with my grandpa, this book made me feel closer to him, while slowly trying to understand what he went through at that time of his life. 

       My grandpa was a veteran who loved to golf and bowl. He had a wife who he married in their very early twenties and soon three daughters came along, who eventually all went into different career paths. My older aunt, Kimmy, worked at Starbucks as a store supervisor for twenty years, and now leads a team for Carvana. My mom, Michele, who worked for an online family owned business for almost 30 years and a buyer. Lastly, my younger aunt, Monica, who bounced from job to job and had a surprise baby girl at the age of 38. My two aunts and mom have shaped this side of my family because of the close family relationship. Even though I remain close to my family on my mom’s side, I still wish I had more time with my grandpa because then I could develop my own feelings towards him. I could truly get to know the man that is still talked about at every holiday, family gathering, and everyday life. I’m sure that ALS did not tear him down and I imagine that he’s very similar to Morrie in the book. 

       Morrie portrays a strong character who lives in the present moment, greatly cares for others, and continues to live with purpose as much as the disease allows him to. Throughout these meetings during the novel, you learn more of Morrie’s past and present life events. I like the in-between chapters where they paint the picture of what life was life for both Morrie and Mitch during his college years. Back then, Morrie was a fun professor, where there wouldn’t be any assignments in his class. The only thing he wanted for his students was to be able to work through their surroundings and what could happen to them during their lifetime. He went a philosophical route of instruction and the novel portrays that Morrie never changed his perspective and personality throughout his disease process. While Mitch is an average college kid, figuring out how to be an adult and living on their own for the first time. Mitch continues to feel a strong connection over time because he took every single one of Morrie’s college courses. One college course that Mitch took with Morrie was when Morrie first got diagnosed with ALS and it was only them in the class. During the book, there are flashbacks throughout this course and there were many life lessons that Mitch learned as a young adult. When Mitch reconnects with Morrie, he’s taken back to that course and remembers all the good laughs, knowledge, and memories they shared together as Morrie’s time is running out.

       I see myself in both Morrie and Mitch. Morrie is someone who tries to see the best in situations, is always willing to teach others, and is truly motivational. Mitch is trying to make it in life, works his days away, and tends to forget the important things in life that aren’t labeled with a monetary value. I think both characters are important to represent as a member in society because they both show that it is important to live the life you strive to have. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. People have to allow themselves and others to grow through the ups and downs that life throws at you. 

       These characters also keep in mind that the importance of friends and family can be taken away at any time. Now, I don’t say this to be morbid, but it is reality and something that Morrie discusses throughout the memoir. “It’s very simple,” he says at one point. “As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you’d always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it’s also the positive that you understand you’re going to die, and that you live a better life because of it” (Albom, 118). I truly believe this. For me, it sometimes feels like I’m just living the same routine every day, but when I take a step back and look at how my weeks have gone, I have changed and developed a lot, especially in the last four years of my life. I know a lot of people wish to be a different age than what they are, but when Morrie explains aging in a different way, it feels more comfortable and less stressful. I believe that we are trying to live a slower life. In some videos I’ve seen or talking to other people, it’s hard to not live life fast. Time has been passing us by so fast lately, that now we’re trying to live slower. This means not rushing a simple task, taking some time for yourself after a busy day, or reminding yourself to say yes to yourself and not just others. This allows life to not pass us by and we get to truly live life how we see fit. 

       When someone has ALS, they may feel that their only choice is to live in the present. The disease could get them tomorrow or in five years. They tend to focus on living with purpose and trying to leave something while they are still around to do so. People with ALS have so much pride that it’s truly inspirational, but heartbreaking as an outsider. When talking with my grandma about this time, she made note that my grandpa was very positive and upbeat. He rarely had bad days and was only angry once with the nurses who were just trying to care for him. I understand this because everyone has bad days despite anyone’s situation, but my grandpa had a bad day where he was taking his pain out on others when he knew that they didn’t deserve that.

       One unique thing Morrie did, which I think people should do more, is have a living funeral. This allows people to share their memories with the person so they can hear it for themselves and go more peacefully. “Morrie cried and laughed with them. And all the heartfelt things we never get to say to those we love, Morrie said that day. His ‘living funeral’ was a rousing success” (Albom, 13). I think that this is such a unique idea that some people may feel uncomfortable with, but it makes sense in a way. Being able to say the things you’ve been wanting to say to someone before they die may seem stressful, but on the other hand that person can go peacefully and fully know that they were cared for and got to hear the things that people needed to get off their chest. It may seem selfish at the moment, but aren’t we all to some extent?

       Death, though, is selfish every day. It takes our loved ones away and no one can truly prepare for the loss they experience. This is how my family felt and still feel to this day. Living with my grandma has been a great representation of this. No matter what day it is, whether it’s an anniversary, birthday, or just a normal day, someone in my family mentions or thinks about grandpa. She even asked me the other day about how this paper is coming along and if I turned it in yet because she knows it’s about him. Now I can have her read it and feel the love all over again.