Today I was planning to introduce a new Face of ALS, but first, I have to acknowledge some sad news, which is that my friend Vivian Connell died of ALS yesterday. I’ve written about Vivian before, and you can read about her here and here and here. Her family wrote on Facebook that she passed away peacefully and that they felt both “an unbearable sadness and an overwhelming relief.” I also feel a deep sense of sadness, and a pretty healthy dose of anger. I never met Vivian in person, but she was a good friend of mine. Wise and real, principled and generous. I’ve spent the morning thinking about her, and about her husband and two children. Although her death was not unexpected, I find it hard to comprehend, as though she is still sitting there in her home in North Carolina, doing important work, and occasionally standing up and stretching when she needs a break. Because the really weird thing is, in my mind I never pictured Vivian to be sick. Her words never made her seem that way, and her beautiful smile is all I can see. I’ll keep her like that in my memory, and she and her family will be in my heart.

As I say goodbye to Vivian, I am saying hello to another person who shares our disease. Read More>