In November of 2022, our father, Brian O. Murphy Sr, was diagnosed with bulbar onset ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease that slowly robs a person of the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe. Bulbar onset ALS is when someone starts to experience symptoms starting in the neck or face region, compared to limb onset, where symptoms are first experienced in the arms and legs.

The road to a confirmed diagnosis was a long one. After the initial diagnosis, we got a second opinion where the doctor disagreed with the ALS finding - "YAY", we thought! From there, we went back to the original doctor, who told us that it was ALS - hope was gone.

With this, our dad moved back to Atlanta from Baltimore in April of 2023 and moved his care to Emory, where he met with Dr. Jonathan Glass, who told us he was not convinced of the ALS diagnosis, "WHAT?!?" We had some hope, but a whole lot more confusion! Fast forward one year later, in April of 2025, the hope was once again yanked from under our feet as the Emory team saw symptoms progressing and finalized the diagnosis of bulbar onset ALS.

It has been a roller coaster ride for the last three years. We wished there was a test that could have told us what it was instead of waiting for the symptoms to worsen to get an answer. Essentially, what we learned is that this disease needs more support. It can strike anyone and, although there have been a lot of advancements in ALS research, we still don't know what causes it. An ALS diagnosis is fatal because there is no cure.

You may not know anyone with ALS, but you do know our family, and I am asking for your support. Will you please consider joining me in supporting ALS United of Georgia? Supporting this chapter helps people living with ALS (like Dad) and their families. With your help, we can enhance the lives of people living with ALS every day until we find a cure.