If you’ve ever seen a United Way film during the campaign, you may have noticed that there are very few leaves on the trees in the outdoor footage. That’s because we shoot it in the fall.
We just wrapped up our 2007 video last month. I traveled to see the Lemcke family—incredible people. Doug, who is 40, has ALS –or what many know as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. We shared the afternoon with him, his wife Jeanne, his mother Bernadette, and Christie his coordinator from CP Rochester. That's Doug and Jeanne in this picture.
We featured Doug and his family in the film this year because United Way’s funding essentially helps pay for a technology device that allows him to communicate with people, and for a coordinator to regularly visit his home to help him and his family with it.
As I understand it, the voice can be one of the first affecting those with ALS. Doug cannot speak much anymore. He can say “I love you” to his wife. Often, though, he uses this communication device you see in the picture. He talks with her through it, he helps his kids with their math homework. He can go on the internet, write poetry, and so much more. It’s amazing what technology can do.
Nothing can do justice to show how brave and wonderful the Lemckes are. Not the film, not the pictures, certainly not this blog. I just consider myself really lucky to have spent time with them. We need to enjoy every moment we have. It’s all I could think about after I left the film shoot. I headed home, picked up my kids, and worked on doing just that.
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