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Weymouth man with Lou Gehrig’s disease to ride again for fundraiser Zumbathon for ALS Two friends run the race of their lives Ripsaw band raises awareness of ALS Dilly Walsh Hosting ALS Fundraiser Weymouth
man with ALS to throw out first pitch at Cape Cod League game The Next Stage Father's Day wish Motorcycle trip is a dream come true for Weymouth
man with ALS Motorcyclist stops in Fargo on benefit ride Gil Tabor: Profile in Courage 'Zumba'-ing to a Cure Locals to support ALS patients
and families in day long Zumbathon "No Slowing Down:
Dilly Walsh Mixes Up a Big Benefit Party" "House Across
the Street" "Georgia’s Team: Grandmother’s hard-fought
battle with ALS inspires family’s fundraising push" "Thank you" “Falmouth
Road Race: $1.05 million raised by runners” “ ‘Team
Papa G.’ Raises Money for ALS Care” “The
Drive of a Lifetime” “Organization
Provides Support for ALS Patients, Families” “Industry
unites to provide support for Barry Family” “Charlton
rallies around family hit by ALS” “An
indomitable spirit: Friends help Gary Rosen in ALS journey” “Falmouth – Facing
Debilitating Disease With Grace, Humor” "Ron is very good at networking within the sphere
of the needs of families affected by ALS. He understands
that these needs, whether for equipment, medical care, advice or
answers to questions, can’t be put on hold. If he can
address your or your families’ needs himself he does so immediately. If
you have a need he can’t provide for he will get you in touch
with someone who can, right away, then he will follow up with you
about whether your need has been met…He has made my family’s
ordeal with this thing called ALS more bearable." "Let's talk about how a shower feels after more than
a year. Wonderful! Beautiful! Refreshing! It's amazing!" "Many fine people are searching for the silver bullet
that will cure ALS, but Ron Hoffman is one of the few who puts his
considerable effort where I need it most - helping me deal with the
myriad real world issues and needs that are crucial to the quality
of my life. I'm so grateful for his acts of kindness and the friendship
he brings when he visits my family and me." "Over the past few years of my ALS "career" Compassionate
Care ALS has helped me significantly on several occasions. Thank
you for providing the "Miracle Mobile" as I like to call
the wheelchair van! A month ago a very dear lifelong friend lost
her brother to illness, and thanks to your loaning me the van I was
able to attend the wake to personally express my support and sympathy.
That meant more to both of us than you will ever know." "It completely undermines the reality that is your
life. The dreams that you have pretty much evaporate." "I don't believe God wants me alive on a machine. When
it's time, it's his time." "The use of the remarkable automatic page turner took
but a few moments of practice to learn how to use it. It has reopened
a wonderful world that became closed to me when I lost the use of
my hands." "SUNDAY WAS GLORIOUS -- IN EVERY WAY ! YOU
DID A SUPER JOB ! How did you manage to get perfect weather also? The
Hall was filled with excitement, happiness and good will. It
was lovely to meet again many good folks from years gone-by, and
then, meet new people, too. Ed,
Sally and I met Dorraine & Dick -- had a great chat. THANKS FOR
EVERYTHING, THE
CUSHION IS JUST WHAT I NEEDED." "You have no idea how much I appreciate your quick
response to my husband’s need. It is so difficult to
find such dedication, I have found. We are going through
a passage we never dreamed of and finding support has been very
compelling. Please know
you are in my thoughts and when I think of you and what you are doing,
I smile. I used to smile a great deal but not anymore. " "Thank you for being my brother Bob’s “angel” through
such a difficult time. Your being there for him was also being
there for me. You are a true friend. Thank you so much,
Bob’s sister, Jane." "I would first like to thank you for such a wonderful
meeting today. I
think it is the first time since my Mom’s diagnosis that I
actually feel comfortable enough to contact someone, you." "I’m in a cottage on a lake, completely secluded, and very much alone with my thoughts. It’s time to stop leaning on my friends, family, and “keep busy activities.” It’s the dreaded end of the road where I must face head on whatever is inside of me, whether it be loneliness, regrets, joy, emptiness, strength, weakness, all of the above, none of the above, and so much more. How’s that for a run on sentence? I suppose it’s my version of your wilderness experience. Some of my thoughts just turned to you, and I want you to know that you were the proverbial calm amidst the storm. You offered me things that no one else did (including doctors, can you believe it? Yes. I know you can.) I’ll always be grateful, and remember your role in the most tragically important experience of my life. Thank you for emphasizing “no one has to suffer” and giving us some idea as to what would happen in the end. Thank you for telling me to get a lock of his hair—something that wouldn’t have occurred to me, and I’m so glad to have it. Thank you for sitting in the hall and talking to my boys while their dad lay dying in the room nearby. Thank you for being sensitive to the fact that I needed time alone with Brian. Thank you for telling me…" -JS August 2004 "Just a note to say hi and thank you for your
part in making last weekendsuch a refreshing drink of cool water
for me. I hope it's not too long before our paths cross again." "The
ramp arrived yesterday and we installed it today - ah, freedom!
Thank you, once again, for your generosity and thoughtfulness.
I can't begin
to tell you how much your continued help means to me and my family. I'm
looking forward to being closer to you in CT." "I
wanted to open communication and also thank you for all the items
you brought with you that WORK. I just went out and utilized
the bar for the car and it is fabulous. We really enjoyed the
time spent with you and want you to understand how important
to us that being with someone who truly understands this disease
is. Your experiences are awesome! Anyway, we will be in touch, now
that you have my address." "It was such a joy to meet you yesterday. I
have such a peaceful feeling about you and your mission. I’m
blessed to add you and CCALS to my list of gifts in my life." Caregivers "Literature on ALS is plentiful, but
when changes overtake your lifelong partner, your whole life changes,
too. There's little time to read, and specific advice about how to
handle the situation -- physically, emotionally, and spiritually
-- can be hard to find. When I met Ron Hoffman at a support group,
he seemed like someone who could help. I grossly underestimated just
how much. For questions of any nature, he helps me find answers.
He brings equipment to our house and shows us how to use it. He encourages
us, in the most compassionate way, to confront the challenges we
face now -- practical and spiritual -- and prepare for those to come.
Both my husband and I feel grateful and indebted to him for accompanying
us on this journey." "I remember a conversation that I had
with Ron when I was in one of my down points as a caregiver, [caring for
my husband Ed had me] feeling overwhelmed, tired, angry, resentful, you
name it! Ron had called to check in and asked me how I was. He really
opens his heart and listens! Ed sometimes has a difficult time listening
to others talk about the illness but with Ron, Ed listens." "Your support and aid through Fran's
illness will never be forgotten. The inexsufflator was a Godsend
and the shower chair also. The financial aid, the kindness, and just
being there for us were so appreciated." "Your encouragement and helpful hints
boosted Bill's spirits and the chair will provide him the freedom
and comfort of sitting with friends and family on a regular basis." "We are enclosing our checks for your incredibly, crucially
important organization, so that it can help more people and so that
it can use its voice to educate both lay people and pharmaceutical
people. I
was utterly and deeply thankful for all you did in personal care
and helpfulness to my dearest sister and to her wonderful family. Hugs
to you. Please continue to stay in touch, or put me on your
list is more to the point. With great admiration and thankfulness." "Thank you for your great kindness, patience, and your thorough
consideration with proper explanations (even though it had to be
repeated several times to be truly heard) to satisfy the needs of
our entire family. Your sacrifice and precious time spent with our
mother will never be forgotten." "Maybe once in a lifetime
a gentle soul comes into someone’s
life to make a burden a little more bearable. During and
after Kevin’s illness you brought to us the kind understanding
and compassion that could only be hoped for. We are so fortunate
to have met you and are forever grateful." "We called Ron about a ramp and I think it was there the very next
week - it had to have been 40 feet long and it made all the difference
to Linda's feeling of independence. We could not have made it through
that week without Ron. Tensions were high before he came and he sat
and talked with Linda and her husband Louie separately. Ron laid
it on the line to Linda: "This isn't Louie's fault, stop being
angry with him," and he let Louie know that he needed and deserved
a break. Two hours later, we're in a different house, in a different
environment. Ron was able to touch on Linda's frustrations but also
touch on Louie's feelings as her caregiver." "I want to thank you
for the awesome assistance you provided to [my friends] over the
months that you came to know them, and especially in the last few
weeks and days. Your knowledge, skill, and caring were very valuable
to us all. I will never forget those last days with Bob and the strength
and support of the team that did all that was possible to ease the
way for Bob to let go and to hold Ginny through the process." "I received your
newsletter and was struck again-by what wonderful work you do. A
very dear friend in his early 60’s, and
very healthy, and I had a long lunch th other day to talk about
his handling of multiple mydonia and impact on his life by many years. We
spoke of how so many M.D.’s withdraw, as well as ‘regular’ people when
someone is living their last months, weeks, days. You don’t! and
it is wonderful! Thank you for using whatever life experience
you surely had to get where you are. Not many people can. I
am blessed and proud to know you." "I just wanted to thank you for
coming to my house. You
are one of the most compassionate people I have had the pleasure
to meet in my life." "Thank you so much for all your
support and friendship during our Mom’s illness. You
made a difficult situation a little easier and my Mom loved your
visits. We are so grateful to
have found you and were able to lean on you for guidance during her
journey." "I just wanted to thank you again for
your help and support. We
can’t say enough good things about CCALS. You gave
us the tools we needed to make my father as comfortable as we could. And
you helped preserve his dignity, what he was afraid of losing most. Thank
you from the bottom of our hearts." "When we have people with ALS on our
caseload, you just know how overwhelming it is on every level, psychologically,
physically, for not only patients but also family members and caregivers.
Compassionate Care ALS truly is compassionate care: it picks up the
missing pieces, the small details that make life manageable in an
unmanageable situation." "Compassionate Care ALS is an organization
that draws its wisdom from the heart and soul of the conscious
living and dying process as a normal and dignified life experience. They support the
individuals, families, and friends who are engaged in these ultimate
passages by witnessing, loving, and following the family’s
desires first and foremost and serving them from their own experiences
and learning over the years." "For all the work that appears invisible,
I thank you." "Research strongly suggests that the immune system
is diminished by the absence of a social support system. The personalized
care and unique services of Compassionate Care ALS demonstrate that
people can be healed without necessarily being cured." "I have worked with Compassionate Care
for the past several years and have watched the organization grow
and develop effective programs to support not just patients, but
also caregivers, family members, and health care professionals…I
would strongly encourage other hospice directors to invite Compassionate
Care to lead a staff training to learn more about ALS and the skills
and strategies for providing sensitive personal care for anyone facing
end of life. The
training includes helpful insights into self care for both family
caregivers and health care professionals." "Ron Hoffman is well known on Cape Cod for his expertise
and passion for those suffering from ALS disease. He is a tireless
advocate for services for his clients and an incredible resource for families
who are caring for loved ones with the disease." "Thank you for making time to provide education on ALS to
our staff including nurses, social workers, home health aides and
volunteers. We found your presentation informative and powerful." "Compassionate Care ALS has been invaluable
in assisting ALS patients with daily living and improving their quality
of life. The van service is a great asset to our ALS community in
that it allows patients with ALS to maintain a more active social
life and on occasion get to critically important medical appointments." "At times [my client (a caregiver of
a terminally ill patient)] has needed much more in terms of “time
away”,
particularly attention to her body (massage, yoga, etc.) for its
stress, without causing a financial strain. Since there is no such
place of respite, I applaud Compassionate Care ALS for its innovation
and the much-needed resource they provide to caregivers." |
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