A Sherwood man battling ALS,Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, defies the odds.
just over six years ago Kipling Jackson fell after his leg went numb, then his fingers began to spasm.
It took a couple of years but eventually Kip and his wife, Robin received a diagnosis they never imagined. Kip was suffering from motor neurone disease, also known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Lou Gehrig's disease, but Jackson is a man of great courage, and he refused to let the illness get the better of his ambitions.
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Jackson has always wanted to write a book but he never could decide on what.After public speaking about his relationship with the disease, it became apparent exactly what story needed to be told.
''I realized how interested people were in my story and my passion for life, so I decided to give it a shot," said Jackson. ''You must decide you want to live and then do it, every day is a new normal, but you can keep fighting and keep living this is your life and your story, you get to decide how you want to live it."
“The brain stops sending messages to the muscles, so eventually the muscles atrophy and basically harden and won’t move,” Kip's wife, Robin said.
Jackson began writing his story using only his eyes.
A computer calibrates his eyes to form a word, he simply focuses on specific letters.
His book, ALS: A Respiratory Perspective, is not just for people with the disease but for any person struggling with a terminal illness.
Kip has completely typed every word of this book with his eyes. He's seen the book though to publication, even designing the cover.
The book, ALS: A Respiratory Perspective, is not just for people with ALS, it’s for any person struggling with a terminal illness.
Kip has a disease , but the disease doesn’t define Kip Jackson.
This diagnosis wasn’t the end of his story, but the beginning.
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