On December 23, 2023, Mykl Morrissey was diagnosed with ALS. Our wedding was already planned for the very next day.

Very early after his diagnosis, Mykl told me something that would guide the next eighteen months of our lives: “I want to die in peace. And that means I have a lot of work to do.” He meant it.

Mykl approached dying much the way he approached living: deliberately. He found a therapist. He made amends. He became intentional about the people he wanted to spend his remaining time with. He went through his belongings so I wouldn’t have to do all of it after he died. And he worked tirelessly to protect the people he loved.

At the same time, we were learning how to live with ALS. His body changed quickly, much more quickly than we were prepared for. Every ALS journey is different, but the speed of those changes surprised us. A shower bench became a wheelchair. Eventually, a hospital bed and Hoyer lift became part of our home. I learned how to dress and bathe another adult, operate medical equipment, prevent falls, manage emergencies, navigate insurance and benefits, hire caregivers, advocate within the medical system, and eventually provide nearly every aspect of Mykl’s physical care.

None of us begins this knowing how to do these things. You learn because you have to.

Continue Our Story

• Our World Became Smaller
• What ALS Taught Us
• There Can Be Beauty Inside Something Terrible