I had been working at Lutris Technologies in downtown Santa Cruz but the dotbomb killed the company (like so many others). I was laid off in 2001. While between jobs I was developing the network infrastructure for two startups, working for sweat equity nights and weekends. During the day I was providing contract Information Technology service to a loan office which was rapidly expanding and at night I was going to Cabrillo College to finally get my CS degree. It was a struggle to keep the mortgage on the new house, our first; our cute little seaside cottage. Except for the unemployment stress I was extremely happy. Then in mid 2004 I got a call from a former colleague who was looking to replace the current Sr Sysadmin at the Daimler research office in Palo Alto. After I was offered the job in August I thought my problems were solved. My career was about to hit hyperdrive. I was a very happy and satisfied man: I had my dream career, my beautiful wife, our house by the beach where we could walk to surf together for our anniversary. I was bullet proof, on top of the world and about to reach the moon. At that time I was ready to begin the next phase of marriage and become a father. But I began to notice a problem walking -- my left foot would flop. And I was having trouble surfing. On takeoff my foot would drag the wax causing awkward positioning and falls. After a particularly clumsy fall on a wave my wife pushed me to the doctor. Very soon thereafter, despite numerous attempts and homemade support devices, my surfing days were over.

After trying the usual orthopedic remedies I was referred to a neurologist. Thanks to quick action on the part of my local doctors I was very quickly under the care of the UCSF ALS clinic where after exhaustive testing the only remaining diagnosis was ALS. I was hoping for cancer, even HIV, as those conditions have treatments. But I drew the short straw. Once diagnosed there was nothing the clinic could do except chart my decline and offer relief from symptoms. There is no treatment of any kind. It's a death sentence. Soon after diagnosis my office was being transitioned from an unknown research outpost into the headquarters for Daimler R&D in North America. I had immediately told my CEO and my Jr Sysadmin and committed to keep working until physically unable. At first I had no symptoms anyone else would notice. They kept the secret with me until it was very obvious I had a problem (and people were asking questions) so I explained the situation first to the various group leaders and then everyone as a whole. The office was very accommodating to my declining physical ability. I dropped out of Cabrillo because I wanted to spend my evenings and weekends at home with my wife. While working to upgrade the systems to enable the transition at Daimler, I was also participating in clinical drug trials. I was determined to be as normal and productive as possible for as long as possible. And I also wanted to fight. I volunteered to be a lab rat for anything the clinic wanted to try. Between 2005 and early 2007 I was able to work and travel to do my job fairly normally.

But slowly everything drifted away. I hired another team member to be my replacement and gradually handed over responsibility and authority as I faded. In 2007, in  order to accommodate my limited mobility, I had to give up the beach cottage (which, being perched on a hill, had many stairs) for a single level ranch-style well back from the ocean. Eventually I lost my ability to hold a steering wheel and was forced to relinquish my car. And in early 2008 after a hospital stay for a choking spell I officially resigned at work and turned control over to my replacement. By that time I had become active in the online ALS community and decided to devote my skills to that. I had been bringing research to my local support group but as my ability to speak and travel faded I transitioned to my blog. In mid-2008 I underwent a tracheotomy to accommodate the machine that now breathes for me, and thus the last of my independence faded away. I am now totally paralyzed (quadriplegic) and dependent on a machine for even breath. Everything I had built, bought, saved, or enjoyed in my life was taken from me or consumed by this disease.

I refuse to go away, however. I am determined to continue to be of service regardless of my disability. To that end:

* I maintain a blog where I analyze research as a service to other Person(s) with ALS (PALS).
* I provide Information Technology advice to PALS to help them transition.
* I am part of a global "family" of PALS formed using social media.
* I am an active and aggressive advocate for awareness, creating and distributing multiple PSAs as well as encouraging normal media coverage.