WACO, Texas — Roughly 6,000 Americans are diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALSeach year. It most commonly impacts white males and a sixth of all those who are diagnosed are veterans.
Debbie Mares is a Waco resident whose husband Abel was one of those veterans.
"I still miss him. It's been a year, but I am going on because I know I am going to see him again," she told 25 News.
"I have this hope that I am going to see him again."
Abel served in the army during Vietnam. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2018.
"It's a devastating disease," Debbie said. "It's like a death sentence."
Abel was sick for two years in Amarillo before they moved to Waco where they got the diagnoses. He then lived for another six and a half years before passing away in October 2022.
"I never wanted to say to him 'I just can't do this anymore'. It was like I was burnt out about a thousand times over, but that day came and it just slipped out," Debbie said.
"I think he needed to hear that, I think he wanted to hear that because we knew it was time."
Studies show veterans are at higher riskfor the disease than civilians. While it's not clear what exactly the cause for this is, some believe it's exposure to different chemicals and materials while overseas.
"We know that we've been exposed to a whole lot of stuff," their son-in-law Paul Kosel said.
Kosel also served in the military.
"What you'll hear every current service member or every current veteran talk about from their recent service member talk about is 'I didn't put that in my medical record,'" he said of his fellow vets.
Kosel said he hopes sharing his family's story will encourage others to speak out about what they're experiencing and seek help if they need it.
"You have to be proactive with it," he said. "If anything weird starts happening with your body, you've got to go right away and you've got to get it looked at. You need to bring up these things and the first thing is I was in Afghanistan, I worked the burn pits, I was exposed to this, I know that, can we take a quick look at this?"
Early signs or symptoms of ALS include weakness in your leg, feet or hands, difficulty walking or clumsiness, slurred speech or trouble swallowing, muscle twitches or cramps in your arms, shoulders or tongue, or tripping and falling.
There is no known cure for ALS, but getting a diagnosis and starting treatment early can help keep muscles healthy longer.
