Pastor Dale Meador's Journey with ALS
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Pastor Dale Meador has helped the lives of countless people in countless ways. As Nancy and Dale begin the journey of navigating his ALS, his friends are reaching out and creating this campaign to help Dale, Nancy and the rest of his family not worry about day to day life, and focus on the time they have together. So this is our opportunity to express our love and support to Dale and Nancy for their decades of dedication and ministry to serving others. One of the first projects we can help them with is a renovation of their front and back yards to remove the unruly lawns and make the landscape as free of maintenance as possible so theirs will be a comfortable home for Nancy going forward. She will have her hands full with the Airbnb, a good source of security for her future. As we identify other needs we will keep you all updated. Let us help them be unburdened by trivial things in life, to focus on family before the next chapter comes. Below are the words of Pastor Dale to better explain where his health is at and his discovery of ALS. Thanks so much for your support
- Bruce Moon
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I don’t remember when it started. I just remember, for the first time ever, having to think about my breathing while I was preaching. It was a strain: I had to consciously pull in air in order to have enough to keep speaking, especially when emphasizing a point.
I don’t remember when it started, but I know when I can hear it. When I went back and listened to recordings of my preaching, I could hear the difference between the messages of February 2 and February 9. On February 2, I sounded normal, and reasonably strong. On February 9, strained and wheezy.
This began a period of attention to my voice. I thought perhaps that three recent surgeries (prostate cancer, kidney cancer, and a hernia) and the tube they run down your throat for them might have damaged me somehow. But a scope of my throat by an ENT came up negative. I began speech therapy and eventually wound up at the pulmonologist’s office. He’s the lung guy, and the tests they gave me showed pretty quickly that it wasn’t a lung issue: it’s the muscles that help to operate the lungs. The tests pointed to a muscular degenerative disease.
Our daughter-in-love Rebecca had also visited a pulmonologist recently. With most of the remains of her brain tumor removed shortly after she gave birth to our Princess Peanut - my pet name for Caroline - Rebecca is always vigilant for symptoms that might show that the tumor is growing or moving. She had some of the same tests I was eventually given. Thankfully, she checked out okay. But because of Rebecca’s tests Nancy was looking at that information when she came across the information for ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. As Nancy read, she realized that I checked all the boxes for that, and had for some time without realizing it.
So our visit with the pulmonologist and a subsequent visit to a neurologist have all but confirmed a diagnosis of ALS for me. I have to have another test before it can be said to be certain, but the neuro Doc said it’s basically a done deal.
This comes as a surprise, and a little scary. If you look at a reputable website, the fifth and sixth sentences say something like, “There is no cure for this disease” and “ALS will eventually rob you of moving, breathing, swallowing and talking.” Man. I don’t know about you, but moving, breathing, swallowing and talking have been four of my favorite hobbies.
So we are sitting here, digesting this news. I awaken in the middle of the night, thinking of a million little things that need to be done or arranged. Little things like: “Will Nancy know how to remove the battery cover on the smoke alarm without breaking off that little tab?” and big things like, “How can she stay in this house?” We’ve just begun to think about all this, but most of my initial concern relates to setting up Nancy. Immediately, our kids have stepped up and told me not to worry about all this, but you all know how much better it will be if she can live independent of much of their time and concern.
Anyway, all that is premature and I know that the Lord will provide. When I shared the news with our Elders they immediately assured me that I don’t need to worry about such future things. And I know that’s true: our Church Family has always been so very very very kind to us, through the ups and downs of life together for over 20 years. Still, many questions weigh on us just now; Nancy, me, and our kids are all processing this.
Some of you know what this is like: you too are wrestling with such end-of-life questions, or have. You or a loved one have received a similar diagnosis, or one from the same family of bad diagnoses. God love you: I just got another heapin’ helping of empathy for what you are going through, or what you went through.
Mainly what I wanted to share was this: Isn’t it wonderful that on the first Sunday I should preach with the expectation that I had ALS that I would preach that section of John 8 that included these precious words from our Lord Jesus:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
After the message, several people reached out to me to say that it was helpful to be challenged to be ready to trust Jesus not only in life, but in death. One couple shared that it would have been so helpful, at the death of her sister, if they could have spoken in plain terms about death and resurrection and gospel hope but instead the atmosphere was mute since some of their loved ones couldn't bear to deal with death squarely. Another person, a widow, told me in tears that the loss of her husband has been hard, but would have been 10x harder if she didn’t have the hope of life after death, and the hope that indeed true disciples will never “see” or “taste” death. Personally, in God’s providence that text could not have been better timed.
On top of that, Beaux’s comprehensive message this morning was the perfect follow-up for anyone looking for real comfort in the face of suffering, which only find meaning and purpose in the Lord!
Nancy and I delivered a rental truck full of Family Retreat supplies to Twin Rocks for the upcoming Joni and Friends Family Retreats there. Normally, we would stay and serve for the two weeks, but this year it seemed best to drop out weeks back. That was a hard decision: most of you know how important that ministry has been to us over the years, and how much we love the families affected by disability served through it. Now that decision has proved to be best: it’s best that we don’t serve this year. Instead, we dropped the truck and then drove from the camp without speaking to anyone (to keep the camp COVID-safe) and went across the street to the beach. There, we wept, knowing it is unlikely I will serve there again.
My head is swimming; Nancy is overwhelmed. But last night I made a statement akin to: “This is an opportunity to prove what I’ve been preaching” or words to that effect. That could sound like, “Now I’ve got to do my part in dying well, Jesus having done his part for me already.” That’s not what I mean, or not what i should mean. Frankly, I don’t know if I can die well: when I read about the progression of ALS, it scares me. So honestly I know I can’t do it. And so instead I should say this: “I’ve trusted in the Lord all these years, and now I’m going to have to trust him in a new important way, that his strength be shown in my encroaching weakness.” It’s important that he be glorified, and not that I am said to be courageous or strong. That should be easy: right now I feel anything but that! Again, I love you and your families and thank you for your role in our family and church family.”
Thank you for your love and concern for Nancy and me and our family. While I don’t see any interruption of my role in the ministry to which I was called, I would ask you to please pray that the Lord would give us and BCC’s Elders wisdom for the decisions that lay ahead, and confidence in him in the face of all uncertainty.
- Pastor Dale
- Bruce Moon
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t remember when it started. I just remember, for the first time ever, having to think about my breathing while I was preaching. It was a strain: I had to consciously pull in air in order to have enough to keep speaking, especially when emphasizing a point.
I don’t remember when it started, but I know when I can hear it. When I went back and listened to recordings of my preaching, I could hear the difference between the messages of February 2 and February 9. On February 2, I sounded normal, and reasonably strong. On February 9, strained and wheezy.
This began a period of attention to my voice. I thought perhaps that three recent surgeries (prostate cancer, kidney cancer, and a hernia) and the tube they run down your throat for them might have damaged me somehow. But a scope of my throat by an ENT came up negative. I began speech therapy and eventually wound up at the pulmonologist’s office. He’s the lung guy, and the tests they gave me showed pretty quickly that it wasn’t a lung issue: it’s the muscles that help to operate the lungs. The tests pointed to a muscular degenerative disease.
Our daughter-in-love Rebecca had also visited a pulmonologist recently. With most of the remains of her brain tumor removed shortly after she gave birth to our Princess Peanut - my pet name for Caroline - Rebecca is always vigilant for symptoms that might show that the tumor is growing or moving. She had some of the same tests I was eventually given. Thankfully, she checked out okay. But because of Rebecca’s tests Nancy was looking at that information when she came across the information for ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. As Nancy read, she realized that I checked all the boxes for that, and had for some time without realizing it.
So our visit with the pulmonologist and a subsequent visit to a neurologist have all but confirmed a diagnosis of ALS for me. I have to have another test before it can be said to be certain, but the neuro Doc said it’s basically a done deal.
This comes as a surprise, and a little scary. If you look at a reputable website, the fifth and sixth sentences say something like, “There is no cure for this disease” and “ALS will eventually rob you of moving, breathing, swallowing and talking.” Man. I don’t know about you, but moving, breathing, swallowing and talking have been four of my favorite hobbies.
So we are sitting here, digesting this news. I awaken in the middle of the night, thinking of a million little things that need to be done or arranged. Little things like: “Will Nancy know how to remove the battery cover on the smoke alarm without breaking off that little tab?” and big things like, “How can she stay in this house?” We’ve just begun to think about all this, but most of my initial concern relates to setting up Nancy. Immediately, our kids have stepped up and told me not to worry about all this, but you all know how much better it will be if she can live independent of much of their time and concern.
Anyway, all that is premature and I know that the Lord will provide. When I shared the news with our Elders they immediately assured me that I don’t need to worry about such future things. And I know that’s true: our Church Family has always been so very very very kind to us, through the ups and downs of life together for over 20 years. Still, many questions weigh on us just now; Nancy, me, and our kids are all processing this.
Some of you know what this is like: you too are wrestling with such end-of-life questions, or have. You or a loved one have received a similar diagnosis, or one from the same family of bad diagnoses. God love you: I just got another heapin’ helping of empathy for what you are going through, or what you went through.
Mainly what I wanted to share was this: Isn’t it wonderful that on the first Sunday I should preach with the expectation that I had ALS that I would preach that section of John 8 that included these precious words from our Lord Jesus:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
After the message, several people reached out to me to say that it was helpful to be challenged to be ready to trust Jesus not only in life, but in death. One couple shared that it would have been so helpful, at the death of her sister, if they could have spoken in plain terms about death and resurrection and gospel hope but instead the atmosphere was mute since some of their loved ones couldn't bear to deal with death squarely. Another person, a widow, told me in tears that the loss of her husband has been hard, but would have been 10x harder if she didn’t have the hope of life after death, and the hope that indeed true disciples will never “see” or “taste” death. Personally, in God’s providence that text could not have been better timed.
On top of that, Beaux’s comprehensive message this morning was the perfect follow-up for anyone looking for real comfort in the face of suffering, which only find meaning and purpose in the Lord!
Nancy and I delivered a rental truck full of Family Retreat supplies to Twin Rocks for the upcoming Joni and Friends Family Retreats there. Normally, we would stay and serve for the two weeks, but this year it seemed best to drop out weeks back. That was a hard decision: most of you know how important that ministry has been to us over the years, and how much we love the families affected by disability served through it. Now that decision has proved to be best: it’s best that we don’t serve this year. Instead, we dropped the truck and then drove from the camp without speaking to anyone (to keep the camp COVID-safe) and went across the street to the beach. There, we wept, knowing it is unlikely I will serve there again.
My head is swimming; Nancy is overwhelmed. But last night I made a statement akin to: “This is an opportunity to prove what I’ve been preaching” or words to that effect. That could sound like, “Now I’ve got to do my part in dying well, Jesus having done his part for me already.” That’s not what I mean, or not what i should mean. Frankly, I don’t know if I can die well: when I read about the progression of ALS, it scares me. So honestly I know I can’t do it. And so instead I should say this: “I’ve trusted in the Lord all these years, and now I’m going to have to trust him in a new important way, that his strength be shown in my encroaching weakness.” It’s important that he be glorified, and not that I am said to be courageous or strong. That should be easy: right now I feel anything but that! Again, I love you and your families and thank you for your role in our family and church family.”
Thank you for your love and concern for Nancy and me and our family. While I don’t see any interruption of my role in the ministry to which I was called, I would ask you to please pray that the Lord would give us and BCC’s Elders wisdom for the decisions that lay ahead, and confidence in him in the face of all uncertainty.
- Pastor Dale
Organizer and beneficiary
Bruce Moon
Organizer
Carlsbad, CA
Nancy Meador
Beneficiary