She also lost a grandfather and uncle to ALS, more familiarly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Her mother, Barbara Holland of West Milton, who was diagnosed with ALS in February 2001 along with Mrs. Sheehan, survives. Mrs. Sheehan died Friday morning after being moved from her home to Hospice of Dayton on Wednesday.

The public rallied around Mrs. Sheehan's efforts to raise $45,000 to travel to the Emcell Clinic in Kiev, Ukraine, a controversial center using stem cells that attracts desperately ill patients from around the world. There is no cure for ALS.

"I don't regret going," she said after returning home from treatments in June. "If there was even a remote chance of getting better or going into remission, I would have gone."

"We didn't think she'd make it into October," said friend Brian Brock, who said Mrs. Sheehan dealt openly and courageously with the disease, which is characterized by a progressive degeneration of motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

"It was hard to watch it take its course," Brock said, "but she was upbeat all the time. It was almost like there was nothing wrong. At least now she's not suffering."

Mrs. Sheehan is survived by her husband, Keith; one son, Cory, 14; one daughter, Christy, 11; her father, Jimmy Ross of Kettering; one stepsister, Angela Rowlands of Connecticut; and one half sister, Cathleen Holland of Florida.

"I don't know what to say to people," Mrs. Sheehan said after coming home and realizing the stem cell treatments did nothing to stop the disease's progression. "I just wanted to do something to say 'thank you' to everyone."

Services are pending with Tobias Funeral Home.

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