The Military ALS Connection Takes A Terrible Twist

From The Wausau Daily Herald --

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090626/WDH0101/906260587

June 26, 2009

After work in Afghanistan, chaplain finds he has Lou Gehrig's disease

By Nicole Strittmater
For the Wausau Daily Herald

STEVENS POINT -- The Rev. Dan Farley has faced danger before; in fact, he's survived it many times.

Farley, who ministers at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in the town of Buena Vista, has worked to stop gangs in Los Angeles and counseled soldiers in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many of the areas where he worked in Afghanistan were within the most dangerous in the country.

"There were some days when it could have easily been my last day," he said.

But now Farley, 51, is facing a very personal danger and his own mortality after being found to have Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

It was in Afghanistan earlier this year while serving as a U.S. Army chaplain when he knew something wasn't right with his health.

The weakness in his right leg, which was believed to be caused by a compressed nerve, turned out to be Lou Gehrig's disease. He deployed to Afghanistan in September for a one-year tour, but his diagnosis forced him to come home early...