SAN ANTONIO – August is the national month for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and one local family is mourning a beloved family member who died from the disease.
Martha Falke, mother to Robin Ancira, died in June of an apparent cardiac episode related to her battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The family is supportive of the Ice Bucket Challenge all month, but is focusing attention on finding a cure with the ALS Walk to Defeat ALS.
She said, "We couldn't figure out why she was dropping things and why she was falling. That started about seven years ago. There were neurosurgeons, chiropractors, and osteopaths. No one caught on." The process of elimination took four years.
Granddaughter, April Ancira said, "I think there's a sense of denial about ALS because it's not an affirmative diagnosis. It's simply done by ruling out others, you still suspect maybe it's something else." But for the Ancira it was not. Falke went from fashion model, Air Force wife, fashion commentator, author, designer, mother and active great grandmother to a wheelchair-bound patient struggling to breathe. On Father's Day her battle against ALS was lost suddenly.
Robin Ancira said it was so quick that the family barely had time to digest it all. "She was stuck to a chair and she couldn't do her own care at all, but she was totally there mentally." April Ancira agreed, "I expected her to sort of end up in a sleepier state and then you say goodbye, and expect to see her laughing one minute and have the episode the following day."
Looking back, they see how the disease took its toll on the entire family. It's one of the reasons they say they will join the fight for a cure. "The cost of medication is astronomical for this. There's only one medication for this and it is to only retard its progress," Robin Ancira notes.
She said those without proper insurance cannot possibly keep up with the medical needs of an ALS patient. She commended the ALS Association and University Health Science Center for their efforts to help families navigate through.
If you would like to find out more about ALS you can head to the ALS Association of Texas's website.