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Als Symptoms

October 20, 2011 by · Comments Off on Als Symptoms 

Als SymptomsAls Symptoms, If you said Ralph H. “Oz” Osgood III “suffered” with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Lou Gehrig’s disease, which would be a mistake.

He did not suffer, said his family and robbed the disease once strapping man of his ability to move his arms and walking. In recent years, had to use a head mouse to take advantage of e-mails from a computer.

ALS is a disease of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement, according to the website of Health PubMed.

In a small fraction of cases, ALS is inherited, but the cause remains unknown. Symptoms include muscle weakness, muscle spasms and loss of the ability to use arms or legs. It affects the mind.

“Imagine being in a gym and have boards of all,” said Osgood’s daughter Erin, 21, on what his father told him he was going on. The boards are written all the things you can do, like eating, walking and talking.

“Every day, cleared the 10 things,” said Erin.

“Most people did not see an expiration date in life,” said the daughter Katlyn Armstrong, 31, of Hamilton. “He took advantage of his remaining life.”

People tend to live about four years with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the wife Josie said Osgood. A neurologist originally gave one and a half. Lived 10 Oz.

Osgood and gave the family an idea of ??how precious life is, but also had much time to prepare for the night of October 5, when he died at his home with his family around him. He was 61.

“Whether you knew it I was like Ralph or Oz, I went to the renovation work great in heaven,” said the former owner of the construction of Osgood in an email sent to friends after his death. “I’m not sure of the details of wake / funeral because the sand is finally out of my hourglass.”

Osgood was a big man, 6-foot-1, 225 pounds. He was a frank and sensible man with a sense of humor of great size, his family said.

When I was young, went to the Woodstock music festival in 1969. John Capobianco, Josephine’s son from a previous marriage, said long friends Osgood in the receiving line, said he could finally reveal what really happened at Woodstock.

Osgood apparently could not sit still in his prime. All rafting whitewater rivers in New England, and ran the Boston Marathon seven times. He was certified as a diver and a sports parachutist.

Ten years ago, on October 1, 2001, was diagnosed with ALS as the cause of muscle weakness and spasms in his arms. It was not long after a fall from the roof of the century house that was remodeled at the time, said Josie.

He did not let the disease decrease. Unable to nail with a hammer, put his contracting business to rest in 2005. He used his remaining skills remodeling a home wheelchair for his family of a dilapidated house that was his property. The family divide their land and sold their original house. Osgood called those who did business with, and donated time and work on the project.

When his twin daughters, Erin and Elizabeth, went to Masconomet regional average and high schools, became a member of the School Committee.

Lacking the ability to lift the arms, still supervised the construction of Java City cafe at school. When he could not drive to meetings, take his family there and a member of the commission to take him home. The hall of the School Board high school and cafe both bear his name. He never missed games of his daughters, and he even presented with a high school diploma.

Osgood was the father of a blended family of five children with his wife of 25 years, Josie. He had two sons from a previous marriage, John Capobianco Capobianco Jodi Middleton and Maine (daughter of Jodi, Osgood’s granddaughter, is Hazel Bell, 2). Osgood Katlyn daughter lives in Hamilton, Isabel attends St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, and Erin attended Union College in New York.

Although Osgood did not “suffer” was uncomfortable during the past two weeks when his health failed him. Mental illness was a challenge, said Erin.

“He lived and adapt to it, because there was no suffering,” Josie said in an interview at his family home.

When first diagnosed, Osgood and his wife decided that if she became depressed, it will leave a lasting impression on your children.

“We made a promise to each other that would remain positive and hopeful for the children to always remember his father as a happy person,” Josie said in his eulogy. Even after he could no longer walk, talk or use his hands, a gift of Easter Seals on a computer with a mouse head and a remote control that could operate allowed to stay in touch, watch TV, read books and send emails .

Osgood said he wanted his funeral be a celebration, because: “. The mood of” I’ve tried to live my life in a good way I do not want everyone to feel other than happy. ”

Osgood was born in Peabody and lived there until moving to Middleton for 25 years. He attended Bishop Fenwick and worked in the first half of the 1980s.

That had been his desire, though his family could not get on with it, everybody dance of St. John Baptist Church in Peabody, where his funeral was held.

“I want my wake and the funeral is a celebration,” Osgood said in your last email.

I was happy, he said. He had finally kicked ALS.

“It might be more accurate to say that he kicked me, but it took 12 years to get me,” Oz said in his farewell email. “Therefore, there is another reason to be happy.”

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