Thursday, October 23, 2025 – Day 436

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Good morning, and welcome to a new day.

Overnight the respirator behaved beautifully…no frightening bursts of air, no near-suffocations, and no gurgling noises. Just a steady, peaceful exchange of air all night. Now I just need to confirm if Cindy agrees with that assessment.

I’ve started noticing that my nighttime movement has become very limited. When I wake up, I’m usually in the exact same position I fell asleep in. That’s new for me. I used to roll from side to side throughout the night, but lately, the idea of turning feels impossible. My arms simply don’t have the strength to lift my upper body and rotate anymore. In a way, it’s probably for the best!because when I do manage to roll onto my side, the respirator mask presses against the pillow, the seal breaks, and things go downhill fast. The “breathing gods” get very angry. Honestly, I should record how loud the machine gets when it senses distress—it’s like a small jet engine taking off. It would be alarming, if I hadn’t already disabled those alerts. The last thing we need are alarm sounds in the middle of the night. It might startle Bear and he’ll go off.

It was a quiet day in the house. Cindy met a friend for breakfast and ran errands most of the day, including ordering replacement supplies for the respirator, cough machine, and feeding tube nutrition. Sounds simple enough, but when Medicare is involved, nothing ever is. Bear had a half day of play at his daycare, so I was left to read, nap, or just drift wherever the day took me.

I spent most of the afternoon reading Look Closer by David Ellis—a psychological thriller full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Half the time I wasn’t even sure who I was supposed to root for. It kept my attention right through to the end, and the final twist was genuinely surprising. I’m looking forward to the weekend book club with the college group and seeing what kind of questions Robyn has lined up.

Next up: Ordinary Grace, which arrived this past weekend. It’s a favorite of one of our blog readers, and as it happens, my cousin Mark is reading it at the same time. Perfect timing. I’m looking forward to curling up by the fire and getting lost in it.

Earlier this week, I had lunch with two work friends from my IMC days, Scott and Terri. It was the first time I’d seen Scott in 20 years, and I swear he hasn’t aged a day—still looks like he’s in his twenties. We laughed and reminisced about old pranks and the fun we had working together. I’ll admit, I was anxious about this lunch. My speech has become so strained that it makes social situations harder. I’m self-conscious about what ALS has taken from me, and I imagine it’s not easy for others to see, either. But both Scott and Terri were patient and kind, and before long we were just old friends catching up—laughing, sharing memories, and ignoring the elephant in the room.

ALS can be a big downer, but moments like that lift me back up. I’m incredibly grateful for the many friends who make the effort to stay connected.

Have a great Thursday, everyone. Love you guys! ❤️

Photos from IMC in the late 80’s early 90’s. It is throwback Thursday.

Photos: Golf outing at Plum Tree in Harvard. It is no longer in operation.