The story of Leo
What started as vague symptoms that Drs attributed to strokes slowly progressed to a debilitating disease that stole the rock of our family.
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of symptoms that affect both the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that controls involuntary action such as blood pressure or digestion) and movement. The symptoms reflect the progressive loss of function and death of different types of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
MSA is a rare disease, affecting potentially 15,000 to 50,000 Americans, including men and women and all racial groups. Symptoms tend to appear in a person’s 50s and advance rapidly over the course of 5 to 10 years, with progressive loss of motor function and eventual confinement to bed. People with MSA often develop pneumonia in the later stages of the disease and may suddenly die from cardiac or respiratory issues.
As a family, the last five years of his life were spent watching him lose abilities but replacing them with new hobbies. When he could no longer golf, he took up baking and eventually he was unable to bake so he watched cooking shows. Family was important to him and even in his final days he showed us a love and faith that has become his legacy. He fought hard, working to use his muscles when most others would have given up. His death was painful but we know he’s in a better place.