Posts by: Kristin Neva

“Can you believe our little Fafa finished ninth grade?” I asked my husband, Todd, as I flushed his feeding tube. He laughed, and we took a trip down memory lane. ... Read more

June 10, 2021June 10, 2021

Looking Back on 11 Years of Our Joyful Sorrow

ALS News Today Columns

On occasion, I’ll page through the photo books my husband, Todd, made for me as Christmas gifts. I feel a sense of gratitude as I look back on all we’ve ... Read more

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021

I’m Wearing a Grief Backpack

ALS News Today Columns

On one of my recent daily walks, I listened to an “Office Ladies” podcast in which Jenna Fischer shared her ongoing struggle with anxiety. She used the analogy of a ... Read more

May 27, 2021May 27, 2021

Shifting My Mindset to Play the Game of Life

ALS News Today Columns

Last week, I went to the doctor to get a problem with my ear checked out. The medical assistant went through a list of screening questions. The last was, “Are ... Read more

May 20, 2021May 20, 2021

When the End of Life Feels Imminent

ALS News Today Columns

We had a health scare a couple weeks ago, and I had to take our 8-year-old goldendoodle to the vet. Earlier in the week, Comet didn’t have his usual zip. ... Read more

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021

If Only My Husband Could Try NurOwn

ALS News Today Columns

Two years after my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS, I read an article that gave me hope. An Israeli rabbi who had ALS saw improvement with NurOwn, an experimental ... Read more

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021

ALS Awareness Is Good, but Action Is Better

ALS News Today Columns

In the summer of 2014, people across the world dumped water over their heads in the ALS ice bucket challenge and shared videos of the experience on social media. Our ... Read more

April 29, 2021April 29, 2021

Facing Uncertainty in Life With ALS

ALS News Today Columns

Life is unpredictable. People get in car accidents. They have heart attacks. Tornadoes strike. I recently saw a viral video in which a rabid bobcat attacked a woman outside her ... Read more

April 22, 2021April 22, 2021

Distracting Myself From the Pain Helps Me Cope With It

ALS News Today Columns, COVID-19 Columns

My husband, Todd, and I had our second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine last week. The side effects from the first shot hadn’t been bad for either of us — ... Read more

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021

Wanting More Than Family Screen Time

ALS News Today Columns

Family movie nights are great, but it’s a challenge to think of other things we can do together now that my husband, Todd, is paralyzed from ALS. I’ve long had ... Read more

April 8, 2021April 8, 2021

Spring Break With ALS Comes With Sacrifice and Love

ALS News Today Columns

I think a lot about how a parent’s ALS affects kids. Recently, an online friend lost her husband to ALS. She has small children and has been posting about their ... Read more

April 1, 2021April 1, 2021

‘Why Didn’t You Tell Me I Was Happy?’

ALS News Today Columns

After my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS, we thought he would have at most five years to live. We started with only two major goals: take a family vacation ... Read more

March 25, 2021March 25, 2021

Discovering the World Is Broken

ALS News Today Columns, COVID-19 Columns

“What the heck happened to that guy?” a young boy called loudly to a woman leading him and other preschool children across the parking lot. I was loading my husband, ... Read more

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021

Giving Up Social Media Isn’t That Simple for Caregivers

ALS News Today Columns

I gave up social media for Lent. Many Christians deny themselves some pleasure or refrain from a vice or a bad habit for a period of preparation and reflection in ... Read more

March 11, 2021March 11, 2021

Life With ALS Is Hard, and Sometimes the Little Things Are Too Much

ALS News Today Columns

Sometimes little things push me over the edge. One morning last week, I was already cranky because I had burnt the oatmeal. The smell followed me, lingering in my hair ... Read more