Update on Jim from Melanie 2-19-08

Update on Jim from Melanie 2-19-08

It has been a little over a month since Jim’s 54th birthday and his last update. He has been diligently working on fundraising for ALS. He is closing in on $250,000. Not a surprise to anyone who knows Jim in fact, one of his many nicknames is “Grinder.”

We traveled to Las Vegas from February 2nd to February 10th. We stayed with friends and family. Jim’s first boss, after graduating from college, was Rich Mesnick. Jim and Rich, “Mes,” have remained friends all through the years. When Rich retired from Gallo Wines, he moved to Las Vegas . Jim’s sister and family, Shawn and Alex Herzog , son Prescott and daughter Aubree (Jim’s goddaughter) also live in Las Vegas . We see Las Vegas very differently from most as we only see the Strip when we are arriving or leaving the airport!

This trip was extra special because another very close family friend, Chris Burskey, drove to Las Vegas from his home in Surprise, Arizona (yes, that is the name!) The weather was great, the sun was shining and we were surrounded by family and friends. It doesn’t get any better.

The “boys” played golf at Canyon Gate Country Club. Jim played all 18 holes (from the BLUE tees), played every shot and scored a 102. He was exhausted but he said he just couldn’t stop because he was having so much fun. For any of you who play golf, it is truly amazing that Jim is able to play. He wears a leg brace, has lost much of the strength in his neck (making it very difficult to hold his head up) and he has no back swing! But, that doesn’t stop him from playing a sport he loves.

While in Vegas, Jim and Mes met with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to talk about the fundraising golf tournament they are doing this year. It was a very successful meeting and we will have more information on this event at a later date.

Mentally, Jim is the strongest person I know. He continues to inspire and amaze me everyday. Physically, the ALS is marching on. His ability to speak gets hard each day. We are getting new software that will allow him to talk through his computer when he gets tired or understanding him gets too difficult. Go to www.talkforme.com and you can test the software yourself. We visited the Pulmonologist today and unfortunately Jim’s breathing test results were not good. His FVC (forced volume capacity) was down from 83% to 59%, this was a big drop. What it means is the ALS is affecting his diaphragm muscles and his ability to breath. Dr. Silver prescribed a new breathing machine for sleeping; he wants Jim to use a Nebulizer 3 times per day and hopefully we can stabilize him for awhile.

I have rambled on too much. We thank each and every one of you for your concern for Jim and me. Please continue to help Jim in his fight to find a cure of ALS.

God Bless,
Melanie Culveyhouse


See some pictures of our trip to Las Vegas. We are using www.snapfish.com. You don’t need an account to see the pictures, just click on yellow view now button near the top of the page after clicking here!


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