My Story: A Friend’s Battle with ALS

By John Gioffre

I am a 66-year-old triathlete, and I have competed in over 70 triathlons. I wanted to tell you about a good friend of mine and fellow triathlete, Richard "Dick" Kelley, who was diagnosed in January 2009 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, the terminal degenerative nerve disease that has no known cause or cure. I had the honor of running with him in the Lake Norman Triathlon in Cornelius, N.C. on August 22, 2009.  Completing the 2009 Lake Norman Triathlon run with Dick Kelley, in his last triathlon, made it the most rewarding and memorable triathlon I've ever done.  
 
In August 2008, we both competed in the Lake Norman Triathlon, and after the event, he mentioned that his hands and wrists felt sore.  Early in 2009, I received a call from Dick, who informed me that he had been diagnosed with ALS.  Dick and I have competed against each other several times over the past nine years and I must admit, although a lot of the races were close, he did beat me most of the time.  Dick, who has completed over 50 triathlons over the past 23 years, has been a very strong competitor in various triathlon series over the years; in his age group, he had placed as high as second and third place overall in the North Carolina Triathlon Series in 2002 and 2003 and first in the Virginia Series.    

When Dick first contacted me in January 2009, he mentioned that he would continue to lose the use of his arms and legs, but he wanted to try to compete one more time in a few of his favorite triathlons before the disease progressed. At first I had hoped to do the upcoming Lake Norman triathlon with him, but in May, he informed me that due to the rapid progression of ALS, he would only be able complete part of the run with me. Unfortunately, his decline continued to accelerate to the point that by August 22, he was on a respirator and confined to using an electric wheelchair. Triathlons were such a big part of his life, right up until the very end of his life, and he asked me to do the race in his honor, hopefully crossing the finish line with him in his wheelchair.  
 
When Dick arrived at Lake Norman, he was determined to do the entire run with me. The triathlon was truly memorable. His courageous comments before the race; Dick, in his chair, and I doing the entire run together; the scores of triathletes that shared words of encouragement with Dick during the run; the shouts and cheers of several hundreds of participants and viewers when Dick crossed the finish line; and the Team In Motion Triathlon Club tee shirts that over 100 triathletes signed in his honor were all part of making it a very special event. His spirit was still very strong, and even though he had some difficulty breathing, he still had his usual sparkle in his eyes and smile on his face.
  
My goal was always to support Dick in his fight by making as many people as possible aware of ALS. Although Dick passed away this fall, I wanted to share this very courageous person's story and how his family, faith, support network and positive attitude helped him fight in his battle with ALS.