Letitia Frye, who works with the ALS Association and has gotten to know Clough well over the years. We watched with awe as the volunteers worked in coordinated effort to lift and push Doug in the TrailRider over the steep and treacherous rocks. When they arrived at the tree, volunteers backed away and gave Doug and Karen privacy to do the vow renewal and take communion. “We talked about was how blessed we have been in good times and in challenging times,” Clough said. “I thanked her for her patience and prayers. God has been refining me and I am better, much better. We talked about how these times of trial have produced some of the better changes.” FINDING A CURE As we climbed the mountain, I interviewed various people about why they wanted to be there. One of the women I met was Dr. Rita Sattler, who is an associate professor of neurobiology and neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute. Studying ALS and how to treat (and hopefully cure) it is her life’s work. Later I went to visit Sattler in her lab at Barrow to learn more about the progress being made in the fight against ALS. “There is currently, to date, no cure. There are three FDA-approved treatments out there that really only barely make an impact on the patient’s overall quality of life,” Sattler said. One area of focus is improving the ability for ALS patients to breathe. “At the end of the day,” Sattler said, “an ALS patient dies from respiratory arrest because the muscles atrophy and degenerate.” Researchers are working to find ways to slow the progression of the disease. “The Ice Bucket Challenge really turned things around in regard to raising awareness of the disease,” Sattler said. “Everybody now knows what ALS is. And it also led to more money.” The ALS community is very collaborative, so research being done in Phoenix is shared nationwide, and worldwide, Sattler told me. “We are exponentially gaining more knowledge about this disease, and with that comes more knowledge about how we can treat it.” CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN Doug Clough is painfully aware that he has already When Doug Clough was diagnosed with ALS in 2014, he never thought he would hike Camelback again. Thanks to dozens of volunteers, he recently did. 22 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | JUNE 2019

CAREY'S CORNER CONTINUED surpassed the range of average ALS survival: two to five years. His is a slower progressing ALS, but his condition is worsening. He worries most about the toll it’s taking on Karen. “She has it harder than I do,” Clough said. “She not only sees me get worse day by day, she also sees the dreams and plans for retirement have pretty much been taken away.” It has also taken a tremendous financial toll. Clough says having ALS costs them between $200,000 to $250,000 per year, and that is without essential caregiving needs. Karen has filled that role. Still, the couple remains positive and focused on living one day at a time. “I wake up every day thankful to God that I have the day, and I try to make the most of it,” Clough said. The day we met at the mountain was one of the best. Dozens of friends and strangers showed up out of love and concern for Clough and his family. No one was there out of pity. And that, says Clough, is everything. “I guess I would ask that people treat me as a regular person, not being sad the moment you hear that I have ALS,” he said. “I wouldn’t want people to fear asking questions about how I am doing and even asking how they can help.” Lots of passersby asked us what was going on as we ascended and descended the mountain. Letitita Frye and I continued to share the story with one hiker after another. One woman stopped and said, “It’s nice to see that there is still goodness in this world.” I walked away that Sunday feeling inspired. While we can’t do anything that will lessen the painful journey Doug and Karen are on, we can come together, as a community, to help them climb a mountain. To see more, visit inspiredmedia360.com . Carey Peña CONTRIBUTING WRITER @CareyPenaTV The group of loving friends and volunteers who helped the Cloughs on this journey. JUNE 2019 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 23