06/11/2026
This story was shared by Carl Ragsdale, who lost his wife to ALS.
– ♥️
My wife, Alicia, and I were married for 61 years.
The first time I saw her was on a boat dock. And being the extremely cool, suave guy that I was, I pushed her into the water. After that weekend, we stayed in touch through letters while I was stationed in Korea for 15 months. I proposed by mail, and she accepted the same way.
Together, we built a beautiful life. We had three daughters, seven grandchildren, and a home full of creativity, faith, and family traditions. Alicia was talented in ways that always amazed me. She made clothes by hand and even made our daughters’ wedding dresses.
The first sign that something was wrong was her voice becoming hoarse. At first, we thought it might be related to a family history of esophageal issues. Then, during a trip to Turkey, we noticed a slight limp. Eventually, our family physician referred us to a neurologist, and we went to Duke University, where Alicia was diagnosed with ALS.
As the disease progressed, we moved to an independent living community so I could better manage her care. Through all of it, Alicia remained incredibly positive. Less than a year before she passed away, there’s a photo of her wearing a party hat with a huge smile on her face. That was simply who she was.
Even now, years later, people still tell me what a wonderful, upbeat spirit she had.
One of the things I remember most is how carefully she saved every drawing, card, and school project our grandchildren gave her. In the later stages of her illness, the grandchildren would visit one by one, and she would sit with them, going through those memories together. They would laugh a little and cry a little.
I hope research will someday uncover both the cause of ALS and a cure. Meaningful progress is urgently needed for families facing ALS.
Alicia had a remarkable ability to encourage the people around her, even near the end of her life. She was a pretty unique person.