Good morning, everyone.
So far, so goodâIâve managed to avoid the worst of the seasonâs cold and flu. At most, Iâve had some early-morning sniffles that disappear by 7:00 a.m. Whatever causes them, they donât linger, so Iâm not giving them much thought.
Thank you to everyone who had plans to stop by but chose to back off to avoid risking my health. I donât love being risk-averse, but in this case itâs the smart move, and I truly appreciate the thoughtfulness.
Good morning, everyone!
Happy birthday to Linda B. in Arizonaâone of Cindyâs many cousins. đ
Feeding tube saga: three weeks and counting. Iâm officially sorry I ever mentioned the degradation of my original feeding tube. Yesterday was my appointment in Grayslake for what we were told would be measurement for a new feeding tube.
Barb and Mark came along for both moral and physical support. Transfers in and out of the car are risky for me these days, and if something goes sideways, it can quickly become a real problem.
Good morning, everyone.
Yesterdayâs cold came on strong in the morningâjudging by the growing pile of Kleenexâand then disappeared just as quickly. By early morning (normal time), everything dried up and I felt fine. Weird⌠but Iâll take the win. Maybe that IV cocktail from Saturday really did its job.
Today brings a bigger challenge.
Iâm heading to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Grayslake to get measured for the feeding tube replacement.
Good morning, everyone.
Well⌠I think my immune system may have just thrown up the white flag this morning. When my nose starts running, it usually isnât long before the rest of my body joins the rebellion. Maybe Iâm wrongâbut the growing pile of used Kleenex is usually a pretty reliable early warning system. Seriously, I hope Iâm wrong.
I donât want to take a turn for the worst, tomorrow Iâm supposed to get âmeasuredâ for a feeding tube.
Good morning, everyone.
Letâs talk about ALSâspecifically the top three physical issues Iâm dealing with right nowâbecause the physical side quietly drives everything else: the mental load, the emotional swings, and the social engagements.
I still find it odd to write about this stuff. But this is what Iâm working through every single day. And the biggest takeawayâone I donât want to gloss overâis this: Iâm still doing it. Iâm still showing up.
Andyâs Army â ALS United Chicago Marathonâ¨Current fundraising total: $6,247 To donate, click the hamburger â° in the top right corner and select đď¸ Fundraiser
Good morning, everyone.
It was the perfect morning to hit snooze and sleep inâuninterrupted sleep continues to be elusive. Between the machines, the pillows, the pee,,and the phlegm (which Iâm fairly certain is trying to choke me), my nights are anything but restful.
Since today marks the official end of the holiday breakâschoolâs back in session and everyoneâs returning to workâI wanted to show my solidarity with those who must rise and shine and face the day head-on.
Good morning, everyone.
Itâs been pretty quiet on the home frontâaside from some coughing fits and steady nose-blowing. So far, Iâve managed to dodge whatever bug is making the rounds. Thatâs probably due to a combination of limited human interaction and Cindy being masked up around the house, wiping down any surface I might touch. So far, so good.
We were scheduled to get an IV immunity boost over the weekend, but the home nurse ended up getting sick⌠hmmm.
Good morning, everyone.
Itâs been pretty quiet on the home frontâaside from some coughing fits and steady nose-blowing. So far, Iâve managed to dodge whatever bug is making the rounds. Thatâs probably due to a combination of limited human interaction and Cindy being masked up around the house, wiping down any surface I might touch. So far, so good.
We were scheduled to get an IV immunity boost over the weekend, but the home nurse ended up getting sick⌠hmmm.
Good morning, everyone.
As I mentioned the other day, 15 runners are signed up to run the Chicago Marathon on October 11, 2026, supporting ALS United under the team name Andyâs Army.
Many of them are first-time marathoners, which makes this even more meaningful. My ask is simple: letâs help them succeedâby getting them to the finish line, helping them raise beaucoup $$, and making sure they have fun along the way.
Good morning, everyone. Happy Friday.
Pondering question: is this an actual workday for people? It seems to me most folks would be off since yesterday was a holiday. Just saying.
So I get all settled in this morning. Cindy always gets up with me, helps disconnect me from the feeding pump, makes sure I have my coffee (which I barely touch these days), and gives me my one pill that canât be crushed or split.
Good morning, everyone.â¨Happy New Year!! đ
Okay⌠Iâm a little shocked that I received a few texts just after midnight wishing me a Happy New Year. I honestly didnât think that was still a thingâŚstaying up to midnight.
Maybe they were drunk textsâalthough none included an âI still love you!â Either way, thank you for thinking about me while you were celebrating last night. It means a lot to know youâre thinking about me.
Good morning, everyone. Happy New Yearâs Eve.
2025: A Year of Reflection
When I look back on 2025, itâs impossible to separate the year from the diagnosis that arrived the summer before. ALS was already part of my life when this year beganâquietly changing what my body could do while, at the same time, forcing me to pay closer attention to everything else. This year became more than a medical timeline.
Good morning, everyone. Happy birthday, Daveâaka Wilderness Man!
I just finished reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King, a novel about the temptation to change the past and the cost of trying to alter events that shape the future. King repeatedly uses the word obdurate to describe the pastâits stubborn refusal to be changed. The greater the significance of the event, the more resistance you encounter when trying to rewrite it.
That word stopped meâŚabout 26 times or so the internet says.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Monday.
Letâs talk food⌠Because I do overnight feedings, I only have one daytime formula feedingâusually around lunchtime. That gives me the option to eat a little by mouth during the day. Since all my calories come from formula now, nutrition is no longer part of the equationâŚI can eat whatever I want. My bigger problem is that I have almost no appetite. Fortunately, Cindy keeps nudging me throughout the day to eat something, so sheâs essentially become my appetite trigger.
Good morning, everyone.
The kids flew home yesterday. It really was a treat to spend Christmas with them. Saying goodbye is always hardâmade harder by the fact that we donât get to see them as often anymore because my travel is so limited. But it ended on a high note. As they were leaving, I got a hug from Coco⌠something sheâs been very selective about sharing with me. Maybe it was because I finally shaved off the beard Iâd been sporting for the past year.
REPOSTING DUE TO NOTIFICATION ERRORS
Good morning, everyone.
Itâs cold and flu season, and these days Iâm much more aware of it than I ever used to be. The holidays bring so much warmthâtime with family, shared meals, laughter, and generosity, but they also carry the quiet risk of illness. For most of my life, that risk barely registered. I trusted my body to do what it had always done: fight, recover, move on.
Good morning, everyone.
Itâs cold and flu season, and these days Iâm much more aware of it than I ever used to be. The holidays bring so much warmthâtime with family, shared meals, laughter, and generosity, but they also carry the quiet risk of illness. For most of my life, that risk barely registered. I trusted my body to do what it had always done: fight, recover, move on. ALS has changed that trust.
Good morning, everyone. Happy belated birthday to Kathy B. I really meant to capture that yesterdayâŚbut Christmas had other plans.
Christmas with the grandkids was even better than I expected. Wyatt was up by 6:00 a.m. and quickly made his way downstairs, spying all the presentsâand the cookie crumbs and half-eaten carrots left behind by Santa and his reindeer. Seeing a true believer in Santa is pure magic.
By 7:00 a.
Good morning, everyone.â¨Merry Christmas! đ
This is a special Christmas for us. While Alex usually joins us for Christmas morning, this year weâre lucky to have Nikki and Zack here tooâalong with our two grandkids, Wyatt and Coco. I canât wait to see their sleepy eyes as they cautiously walk into the room, scanning the tree and the fireplace hearth to see what Santa brought.
Last night we celebrated with the Balasi clan⌠or at least part of it.
Wednesday, December 24, 2025 â Day 498 Good morning, everyone.â¨Merry Christmas Eve!đ
When we were kids, Christmas Eve meant piling eight young kids into the station wagon and heading to North Chicago to visit my grandparents. They lived right next door to the family businessâRatajackâsâon 14th Street, just a couple blocks west of Abbott Labs (now AbbVie). From there, weâd make another stop at the home of one of my dadâs childhood friends: âRich Uncle Marty.