On a perfect summer day in 2002 a family from the church I pastored in southwestern Wisconsin invited me to go water skiing on the
Mississippi River. This was one of my favorite activities, so I accepted every time they offered.
When it was my turn at the skis, I got up fine but quickly noticed that I couldnt hold on for very long. I ended up putting my arms through the handle and hanging on at the elbows. I just figured I must be tired and didnt think anything more about it. But the next time my turn came at the skis, I thought about how weak I felt the last time. So I passed up the opportunity - something I normally would never have done.
When we were through for the day and heading back to the dock, the wind caught my cap and tossed it into the river. I didnt realize it at the
time, but I left more than my cap out on the Mississippi River that day.
Around this same time I also noticed my speech was slowing down. During my daily prayer time, I would pray through the list of people who attended the church I pastored. In one family, everyones first name began with the letter L. I couldnt alliterate their names as quickly as I was used to doing, but thought nothing of it.
I started having difficulty swallowing. It felt like there was always something in my throat which just wouldnt go down no matter how hard I tried.
Then in January 2003, I noticed my voice was becoming tired t ...
