A Chaplain with ALS Reclaims Her Voice and Calling (Full Transcript)

[00:00:14] Speaker 1: Good morning today. Our scripture comes from Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 24. And the scripture reads, Man's steps are ordered by the Lord. How can a man understand his own way? At this time, please join us for our morning prayer. Heavenly Father, it is impossible for us to fully know what is our tomorrow. We act today with knowledge of our past, but still, tomorrow we do not know. We thank you for the peace that we can have about tomorrow, for you have ordered our steps. May this confidence be on each of our patients and caregivers today, amen. I started working as a hospital chaplain about 15 years ago. I round the floors to provide spiritual care to staff, patients, and their families. I see people before surgeries, through emergencies, and I rejoice with those who experience healing. Other times, I am with a family as they experience the death of a loved one, and I support them through their mourning and grief. In my time as a chaplain, I have come to learn that illness comes for everyone at some point, and we all need support to get through those moments. When I was diagnosed with bulbar ALS, I grieved the loss of being a chaplain. I was sure my diagnosis would prevent me from continuing this work that is a calling on my life. It was devastating and overwhelming to face a disease that is terminal. It felt as if my health, my career, and my identity as a person were all spinning out of control. Little did I know that I would find my voice again through the gift of technology. I remember sitting at the kitchen table the moment I heard my voice for the first time. I truly expected to hear a robotic voice when I heard my voice. I sat in shock. It was me. It even had a Southern touch to how I would speak. Shock gave way to tears as I wrote out sentences to play back. I could tell my husband Michael and our children that I loved them, and it sounded like me. Mia is everything good in the world, and if I am feeling down, her smile changes everything. One of the best gifts from Eleven Labs is that I can record messages for my granddaughter to listen to as she grows. I want Mia to know that it is okay to fail, and it is okay to take risks, that her worth is already set, and she has nothing to prove. Everything she needs to be, she already is. That is what I want her to remember. All the people I have met and worked with in my 15 years at the hospital were teaching me how to live with ALS and how to manage a terminal illness. They were guiding me, and I did not see it. So for 15 years, God put people in my path to give me strength for this journey. I give thanks to my husband and my family for their love and support. My goal is to honor them by giving life my all while I have it.