By Eric Pera
The Ledger, Lakeland, Florida
Copyright 2004 The Ledger

LAKE WALES -- Matthew Solomita first noticed the symptoms of his disease during the 2002 Thanksgiving holiday.

Then, the robust mechanic who commuted an hour to his job at an Orlando concrete company suddenly found difficulty in pouring a cup of coffee.

That's the way it is with ALS -- it hits out of the blue with a subtle disturbance and then like a locomotive building steam the disease shuts down every voluntary muscle in the body, ending often with the lungs.

There's no cure for ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It ended the life of the New York Yankees first baseman on June 2, 1941, three years after he was diagnosed.

Few ALS patients survive more than five years.

It's only been one year since Solomita discovered what was robbing him of his coordination and strength, and already he's confined to a wheelchair.

At 34, Solomita of Lake Wales is at peace with his fate. But he worries about his wife, Miriam, who has developed tendonitis from helping her husband in and out of his motorized chair.

As his muscles atrophy, he'll require a mechanical device to do all the lifting.

Meanwhile, a roof leak is holding up plans to move Solomita into a larger room in his house, which can accommodate a hospital bed.

The couple's bathroom is too narrow for a wheelchair, making bathing and other necessities next to impossible.

The Solomitas' income is not enough to provide Matthew the freedom and flexibility to live out his days at home.

Hearing this, therapists at Winter Haven Hospital referred the case to The Ledger's Newspaper With a Heart program for assistance.

The nonprofit program now in its 35th year will repair Solomita's roof and provide him an apparatus that attaches to the ceiling, allowing him access to any room in the house.

"God gave me this disease because he knows I can get through it, and Miriam can get through it," Solomita said. "I don't want people to feel sorry for me. I live every day to the fullest.

"I need help to take the stress off my wife."

The Solomitas are among hundreds of families helped through the years with basic needs by way of the Heart program, which strives to assist people who have suffered financial strain because of illness, injury or some unforseen event.

Donors have given $125,000, which is roughly $15,000 short of the amount received at this time in the previous Heart campaign.

An advisory panel that includes FunctionAbility Unlimited, Polk County Elderly Services, Polk County Health Department and United Way decides who receives help.

By early February 2003, Matthew Solomita was unable to function as a mechanic and part-time driver, hauling concrete. Medical tests confirmed ALS, a progressive disease that short-circuits the brain's ability to control muscles throughout the body.

Despite eventual and total paralysis, the mind remains unaffected, according to the ALS Association, which provides respite care and other assistance to the Solomitas.

During the six months it took for Matthew Solomita's Social Security disability benefits to be approved, he relied on his wife's income as a legal assistant to Bartow lawyer Richard Mars.

It wasn't enough, the Solomita's said, and they were forced into Chapter 13 bankruptcy to prevent foreclosure on their home.

"It was the roughest six months of my life," Miriam Solomita said. "We lived with donations and pledges (from friends and relatives)."