The year was 1977, and it was the year that I fell in love. Charles and I were kid's when we met in the spring of that year and we were married in the fall of the same year. We were young and we were in love, Charles was barely 18 and I was just 17 year's old. I remember my Grandma telling everyone that in 6 month's we'd be divorced, because we both were so young and that she thought that we were'nt grown up enough to take such a huge responsibility on at our age. Oh Boy I am so thankful that she was wrong. Charles was born August, 22, 1959, and grew up just one county apart from me. He worked at his Father's mechanic shop in Hasting's, Florida, Charles was also a Volunteer Fire Fighter. As our life started as Man and Wife, I pulled the home together and he worked and he worked alot of long hour's. We had our first Child eleven month's after our Wedding day. It was a girl and we named her Misty Marie born August,14,1978. Our live's were simple but so full of Commitment and love. Charles ran alot of fire call's and worked alot of long hour's at his Father's shop. Our second Child was a boy we named him Charles James Jr, his Birthday is December, 12,1982 and our last Child was born June, 22,1985 her name Elizabeth Ann. We had this beautiful Family that we were responsible for, we had made these wonderful little people. Charles was a loving Father he worked his butt off so his Children and I had everything we needed. We alway's tried to keep one night of the weekend free for each other. We would go over to ST.Augustine and have dinner, then go for a two mile walk down the beach. Walking was something we both enjoyed, fishing in the flat's for red bass or gigging for flounder we just loved our time together. I'm trying to show anyone that will listen, how fast and ugly this disease take's over your body. ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis It's also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. To be honest I knew nothing about this devil's disease, we never saw it coming. But that's what ALS does it creep's into someone's life. It rob's you of your life, your dream's, your future, and it take's the one you love away. This disease really does'nt care who it take's down. It truly discriminate's against no one. Charles had been on the Fire Department for gosh 30 year's. He absolutely saw thing's that almost got the best of him. While so many of those fire call's and medical call's were graphic and very severe, he and all of his fellow firemen alway's kept a cool head about any situation that they found themselve's in. Charles was in so many way's my Hero, because he never complained about helping anyone. He would be one of the first to run into a burning house, or one of the first to crawl into a car that was upside down to help get the patient's airway open. Charles made alot of friend's over the year's, friend's that would also be there for him in the end. I'm not sure if charles knew just how liked and respected he was. Had he known he would have certainly been overwhelmed and thankful because Charles alway's thought he was the lucky one and thanked God for allowing all of you his friend's to be apart of his life. My Brother and Sister in law, Ricky and Sherri Feagin were not only family they were our best friend's. Every October the four of us would take a trip to the Mountain's in North Carolina to celebrate our Wedding Annerversary's, we actually got Married three week's after they did. We went to Church together we were together alot. To Charles, Ricky was his best friend. Our trip's to the mountain's Ricky and Charles would go running up the side of the mountain, while Sherri and I would lag behind. Looking back now, I can't help but wonder if I missed something, If I refused to accept to acknowledge that he was that sick, were there any sign's anything that could have screamed that his body was so sick. Charles was very healthy and very seldom did he get sick. Please understand what I am trying to show is that never not once did we see this coming Lou Gehrig's Disease was never even thought of in the beginning. We did know that he was sick and with each day he only got sicker. We never dreamed that what he was diagnosed with, that there was no help for, no cure, no operation. He was given a death sentance, we were given a death sentance. I am trying to put our last 2 year's together in a book, somehow I need to put some of this pain behind me. I'm ready to move on with my life. It's funny how for the past 5 year's, I've tried so hard to die, I just stopped living. And I have been trying for 5 year's to write this book, scared of all the pain the agony all of the heartache, I knew it would just slap me in the face all over again. I will also remember thing's that are better off forgotten. At this point I just need to move on with my life and Let Charles rest in peace. I kept a private journal for those 19 month's, while we did walk through hell, there were so many good time's as well.
