On October 15, 2011, Slattery Vintage Estates Vineyard and Tasting Room in Nehawka, Nebraska will be the venue for the ALS in the Heartland Wine Bowl. Vineyard owner, Barb Slattery, shares her ALS story:
BIG AL: “Something just wasn’t right, our very active Dad just wasn’t quite himself. That July day in 1992, when we all noticed a definite change, was the beginning of a nightmare. The shaking of his hand as he tried to help screw the hinge on the box. The noticeable hollow space between thumb and first finger. The weakness and fatigue. Dad just wasn’t himself.
Dad was a man of incredible stamina both physically and spiritually. Friends called him ‘Big Al’, mostly because he had such a big, open heart and presence (and because he had a mean volleyball spike). He earned the respect and admiration of almost everyone he crossed paths with through quiet determinism and leading by example. It came as a total surprise when his always happy disposition began to change, and the final diagnosis was finally determined in September. Just 64, newly retired, and planning for possibly the best years of his life with his wife and our mother, Gena , it just didn’t seem fair, especially for her.
In 1993 there was no ALS IN THE HEARTLAND. There was little or no help or support. Gena, even more determined than Al, was lost trying to cope with caring for his quickly changing disease.
Al had a Christ-like ability to see the best in people, to listen deeply, and occasionally provide gentle advice. Al was a beacon of faith and hope, and counselor to many—his children, grandchildren, friends, and, as a a mortician for John A. Gentlemen Mortuaries, even to grief-stricken families planning funerals. Now, how was he to console himself, and how were we to help? ALS IN THE HEARTLAND, or in hindsight, more involvement with other ALS families, would have certainly been helpful for all of us.
After agonizing over the ‘what if’s’ and the ‘best case scenarios,’ Al quietly determined that he was prepared to accept death. Al decided that he would make the most of his remaining time with family and friends; a trip was planned and we began to see him smile again, although through a frail portion of what he used to be. Things progressed quickly and when he was just on the verge of losing both his ability to talk and walk, he passed away. It was May, just eight short months after the diagnosis. Al never made it to a wheelchair, he collapsed after losing his breath and died on May 7, 1993.
Al Heires, a positive influence in the world, loving father, grandfather, husband, brother, mentor, deacon-in-training, runner, tuba, piano, and guitar player, singer, photographer, boy scout leader, helper, teacher, friend, guide, wine-maker, gardener, camper, mechanic, carpenter, mortician, lifelong learner, advisor, and counselor, we carry you in our hearts and we will miss you forever.
The work that ALS IN THE HEARTLAND does is so very valuable and worthwhile. Families can now take advantage of others’ experience and get the physical as well as financial and emotional support they need. Please know that your contribution to this great cause will provide invaluable support in a time of great difficulty.
