Family is hoping to raise money for father's books with your help
Leah's father Ronald Nepomuceno was diagnosed with ALS also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, about five years ago. He is currently being hospitalized and can no longer walk and each day even though weaker, he has been maintaining fortunately slow progressive ALS. He is also living off a ventilator that helps him breathe. He can talk, eat, and move his hands a bit, he cannot stand our walk but he is certainly spirited, full of humor, and remains the positive person that he has always been. His mind is sharp as a tack and he remains the creative force that we all know and love.
Over the past two years, he has been writing songs and books with only a stick to type on his computer keyboard. He has written and completed two books one called "Sam's Path" a lovely reader for children about a turtles adventures and the love of family and a good reader for all ages. His most current book "Artist Not Dead" is an inspirational book filled with humor, metaphors for life, and life's lessons. A book of character and strength, "it is a must read, and a tour de force," says Marv Klassen-Landis professor of poetry and literature.
Geoff Forester (photo journalist and with the Concord Monitor of New Hampshire for years) says "this book must be published, it will be a great read".
Leah's father would someday love to get these books published as soon as possible. He is the most inspiring person that she has ever known and she is sure anyone that has also met him will say that. She truly wishes there was a cure for this awful disease but there isn't. Just to see her dad's face when she shows him that she helped raise funds through the generosity of others to get his book published for him, would help fulfill his limited days on this earth and bring to joy to his heart.
For information about ALS, visit: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/DS00359, http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html, http://www.alsa.org/ and http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/amyotrophiclateralsclerosis/detail_ALS.htm.
To read some of Nepemuceno's writings and to make a donation to the cause, visit: https://www.fundraise.com/leah-nepo/artist-not-dead-an-als-story-of-inspiration.