LETTER TO PAUL

Hi Paul,

Thank you very much for your kind notes. I hadn't realized that intelligence skips generations --sort of like twins, huh?
Anyway, I like your father's sense of humor. I reviewed the website; if tough, he had an engaging smile that hid it very well.

My game was tennis, although not quite to the level of a scratch golfer.

I see that your father's sister also was afflicted with ALS. So sad for your family -- I assume that means they inherited the disease from their parents, each being a carrier of the defective gene. But maybe not. I learned just a few years ago that my parents were second cousins; however, I'm the last of seven children and none of my siblings has had the disease. As Dr. Lewis Rowland of Columbia -Pres once said to me, "stop blaming your parents ". We all grew up on a farm in the middle of Kansas and drank the same well water as our cows. As one of my brothers likes to say, our mere survival is a , alone, a miracle!

I, too, have now lost my voice and, except for the computer (which I only use at home), also communicate by means of a letterboard, which is so frustrating. If not for the computer, I think I would lose my sanity. And now, the researchers are starting to put "chips" in the head, which somehow can run the computer by the brain's thought processes. That may be a little more than one needs!

My wife, Maureen, and your mother sound like kindred spirits so I'm sure we will meet in the near future. Thanks again for sharing your experiences with me.

Best regards, Bob.