All month, we are featuring stories of individuals who are having an impact in the fight against ALS.

Meet Suzy Shealy from Columbia, S.C. Suzy is a wife, Gold Star mother (son Army Sgt. Joseph Derrick), grandmother, sister, person living with ALS and a tireless ALS advocate. We recently sat down with Suzy to get to know her and learn how ALS impacts her life.

From Suzy:

At age 56, I first became a grandmother to Liam. Since then, I have had two more wonderful grandchildren, Mason and Sophia - the ability to see life from an eternal perspective has given me so much joy.

At age 58, I was diagnosed with ALS. That day I was overwhelmed, but with a sense of joy, perfect peace and love. I began to study the Bible to learn all that I could from its words. I knew I had a purpose for my life. I was completely convinced that I had been given an opportunity to encourage others and help ease the burdens of others in their time of great need.

“The thing is, we in the ALS community have the opportunity to encourage others still. When we are unable to stand, take a stand on our behalf to ensure every person has access to proper equipment, quality care and quality caregivers. When we can no longer use our hands, please use your own to undergird our caregivers and use them to help out. When we lose our voice, speak out about the need for funding, research, and educating the public. While we lay paralyzed, please know that we do not have time to wait for a cure.”

Suzy remains strong in her faith. It’s with a purpose that we fight against ALS. Donate today.