Gail Crutchfield
The Cullman Times
Published on: 01-25-2004
Copyright © 2004, The Cullman Times

EVA -- A few years ago, Michael and Delta Selg were enjoying their life in Sanford, Fla., and working toward retirement. He was living every little boy's dream driving a concrete mixing truck. She was a secretary at a construction company.

Then one day, Michael noticed that the pinkie and ring fingers of his left hand had begun to curl. Delta finally convinced Michael to go to the doctor.

"I called and made him an appointment and made him go," Delta said. "He was working and he doesn't miss work. In 16 and a half years he never missed a day of work from being sick."

Michael, 55, said the doctor first thought the deformity might have been caused by damage to a lateral nerve from a cut on his wrist. After that was ruled out he was sent to a neurologist who probed Michael's arm, checking the muscles in his arm. That's when amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was diagnosed. It is most commonly identified as Lou Gehrig's disease.

The Selgs have become experts in ALS. From the research compiled by Delta, she could probably earn a Ph.D. in Lou Gehrig's disease. "ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease that weakens and eventually destroys motor neurons (components of the nervous system that connect the brain with the skeletal muscles)," Delta said, reading from one of her thousands of pages of Internet research. The damage to the neurons prevents signals being sent from the brain to the muscles to connect. Patients eventually become paralyzed and often require ventilation. Loss of respiratory function is ultimately the cause of death.

As the disease progressed, Michael continued to work. Delta said his fellow employees kept an eye on him until finally it became obvious he could no longer safely operate the truck. "They gave him a desk job and he continued to work until Oct. 28, 2002," Delta said.

Shortly after, Michael and Delta moved from Sanford, about 28 miles northeast of Orlando, to Eva to live with their daughter, Debbie Wilbanks. They remodeled the house, adding and widening the doors and enlarging the bathroom to accommodate Michael. When he arrived in Cullman he could walk with a cane. "Then he fell and broke his left shoulder twice," Delta said. Michael advanced from his cane to a walker, then to a manual wheelchair before moving on to a more advanced model. Now he's bedridden and can no longer move his arms and hands.

In July 2003, Hospice of Cullman County was called in to help the Selgs. Two times a week a nurse comes in to see how he is doing physically. Three times a week a nurse's aide comes in to help bathe him. "But we're on call 24 hours a day," said Michael's nurse, Jo Smith.

Smith said when Hospice first began serving the Selgs, Michael could move his right arm and did not need oxygen. Today, Michael can't move his arms, and his breathing is assisted.

"I think, to me, that what a lot of people don't know is that what it does is, it changes your life from the day of the diagnosis," Delta said of the disease. She said she and Michael had their lives planned out before the disease put everything in turmoil. "We had a home, we both worked and we leased our vehicle every four years," she said. "When this diagnosis hit, it caused us to lose everything."

Circle of Friends

One thing they have gained is a strong support group through Hospice of Cullman County and its volunteers.

Once or twice a month, a Hospice Care Team comes in just to spend time with the family.

The care team is a relatively new venture for Hospice. Over the last year, care teams from area churches have joined forces with Hospice to treat the emotional well-being of patients and their families. There are 10 care teams in action now, said Tanya Craven, volunteer coordinator for Hospice. Almost 20 families have been helped by Care Teams in all.

Care teams consist of seven to eight members of a church near the patient's home, Craven said. The Selgs' care team comes from Community of Hope Church. "They are trained in the Hospice philosophy and a care team model," Craven said.

The care team comes to the Selg home and spends time with them. They've thrown pizza parties and popcorn parties or they just sit and talk.

"It gives him somebody to talk to besides me," Delta said. "He looks at me 24/7." Michael enjoys the visits he gets from the care team members. Since most of the team members work at other jobs, they usually come in the evening.

"They've been here at 9 o'clock before," Delta said. "We all get to talking and talk about everything under the sun. He enjoys the company immensely."

The care team is just part of the services offered by Hospice of Cullman County every day. Craven said there are essentially six services provided by Hospice: a primary care nurse, home health aide, social worker, chaplain, volunteers and the care team. "The care team is like a circle of friends offering support and love," Craven said.

"I wouldn't be able to do it without them," Delta said of Hospice as she takes care of her husband, checking his temperature, listening to his heart and lungs and offering comfort.

Hospice also helps financially. From a list of more than a dozen prescription medications Michael takes, Hospice is able to help pay for all but two. That includes the only FDA-approved drug for ALS. It costs $900 for a month's supply. Living off a $1,200 Social Security check each month, Delta said the drug benefit helps. "They're phenomenal," Delta said. "He's phenomenal," Jo added, patting Michael's hand and receiving a beautiful smile.