Help Carl Schatz's family fight the costs of ALS

We are writing on behalf of Carl Schatz, a husband, brother, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. Carl was diagnosed with rapidly-progressing ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) last year. ALS is a life-ending, incurable disease that impairs muscle control and eventually requires 24/7 care. At present, Carl can only move his head and his speech is labored and deteriorating; he currently requires a professional caregiver at least several hours a day and cannot be left alone.

While MediCare covers the equipment that Carl needs, it does NOT cover the cost of professional caregivers at $30.00 an hour. The physical demands of full-time care on Esther, Carl’s wife, is unsustainable, especially since she is battling some of her own health issues.

Unfortunately, Carl was not able to get long-term care insurance due to other illnesses early in life. With rapidly-progressing ALS there is great uncertainty in the timeline that Carl faces and when he will need virtually 24/7 professional care. The financial burden of out of pocket full-time caregiving is daunting for Carl and Esther, and the uncertainty of the impact on their savings and Esther’s future is very stressful.

For those of you who don’t know Carl, he is a retired engineer and natural comedian who is handling this unprecedented situation with bravery, grace and a touch of humor (he is still cracking jokes!). We are focusing on quality of life for Carl’s journey forward. Please consider a gift to help the family with the physical and financial burden of months of full-time caregiving. No contribution is too small. Words cannot express our gratitude.

The family will donate any unused gifts to the ALS Association and Team Gleason.