Give Aric and Kerrey the Gift of Time Together

Hello friends,

This is Alice, Steph, and Larissa, Kerrey and Aric's friends,

In late August, at just 52 years old, Aric Woughter was diagnosed with ALS. The course of ALS is unpredictable, but what Aric and his family do know is that his body has started to deteriorate and that ALS can be swift moving and is ultimately fatal. It is also expensive. The average cost to treat ALS over the duration of the disease is over $1.5 million with roughly 15% of those costs paid out of pocket by the family. Fortunately FMLA allows Aric to be paid for several more weeks of work before going on disability, at which point his monthly income will be significantly reduced.

Aric and Kerrey were high school sweethearts and have been married since 1995. They have devoted their lives to others, as educators, coaches, foster parents and friends. Now they are hoping to devote some quality time to each other and their family, including taking the cross country road trip that they had planned to kick off their retirement several years down the road.

Already Aric has lost the dexterity in his hands to cut his own food, button his own shirt, etc. His upper body strength is deteriorating; he can no longer do a push up or put his bike on the car rack. But he has his legs and with them we would like to be able to get some adventures in! He can e-bike with modified hand brakes and hike, he can even play two-handed pickle-ball! But winter is coming and there is no guarantee he will be able to do any of those things when summer returns to Northern Michigan.

Traveling is high on Aric’s bucket list. Camping is no longer a viable option and hotel stays and food from restaurants are cost prohibitive.

The goal then is to purchase a travel van. This will cost $81,000 which covers the cost of the refurbished, used van at $79,000 plus the installation of a hydraulic bike lift for their e-bikes. This particular van will comfortably house them as they take a forced early retirement trip. It has a full kitchen, something they need as Aric has to eat a lot to slow the deterioration of his body. ALS is hypermetabolic; any weight loss accelerates his physical decline. It has solar power, a permanent bed, and 4-season insulation. It will keep him as comfortable as is possible with his condition.

This van will allow Aric and Kerrey to travel together while renting their home, potentially for as long as a year, allowing them to supplement their income while providing freedom to move about the country and visit family - including daughter and son-in-law Abby & Jordan in Seattle and siblings in Texas and Idaho. Kerrey is working to finance the travel van, but it requires a sizable downpayment and adds a significant monthly payment to a budget that is already going to be stretched thin.

“I can’t let him sit in the house all winter while I go to work. I’ve never met anyone who needs to be as active as he does - that’s just Aric! And the ALS team at UofM encouraged him to keep moving. I’m getting him out of this house and out of Northern Michigan this winter. We aren’t going to have a retirement together, and I can’t tell you how much that breaks my heart. But we have ‘right now’ and we mean to make the best of it.

The van is a lifeline for us. Something to look forward to - and man, do we need that - as well as a means to make income on our home for a bit. And when traveling is no longer an option - and hopefully that is a long way off - we’ll have the option to sell it to pay for the assistive equipment that Aric will likely need later."

Aric and Kerrey do not know how much longer their life together will last. We ask that you donate to their dream, one that has to happen much sooner than they wanted. If you know them, you know that they both give everything to the people in their lives. They love others hard. Let’s give a little of that love back to them by helping them do this.