Copyright 2004 Ride for Life, Inc.
By Bob Cauttero, Editor, rideforlife.com

A year ago, Marlene Fraehmke says she was in the prime of her life, trying to do it all, as a working mom and the wife of a loving husband. Dreams of having more children and other plans for the future came to a sudden stop when she was diagosed in April with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Although Marlene and her husband Tom face the daily challenges of living with ALS with much hope and optimism, she wants to make sure that her 3 year old son, Christian will grow up knowing all about his mom and how much she loves him.

(PHOTO CAPTION: Marlene, Christian, and Tom Fraehmke in New York City Hall Park taking part in Ride for Life 2004 last April.)

Marlene has started the daunting task of documenting the story of her life for Christian by writing down her thoughts for him in a journal, making a video diary, and buying greeting cards for his future birthdays, graduations, wedding day, and even the birth of her first grandchild. She says she plans on being around for all these occasions because she will do everything she can to fight and win her battle against ALS.

Marlene's desire to tell the story of her life and love for Christian proved more difficult than she thought it would be and led her to write a letter to well-respected television journalist, Jane Pauley for help.

Pauley, who started on NBC's TODAY in 1976 and was most recently seen on DATELINE, is the host of a new daytime television talk show, The Jane Pauley Show.

The letter proved to be serendipitous because Pauley was planning a show about autobiography and the different ways people share their life stories.

Pauley and her production staff were so touched by Marlene's story that they sent a camera crew to her home to shoot a video biography and invited her to NBC's Rockefeller Center studios in New York to appear on the show.

While ALS was not the main focus of the program, which was taped before a studio audience last week, Marlene's compelling and unforgettable story put a very human face on a most inhumane disease.

At the end of the show, Pauley promised to continue to help document Marlene's life, for what she hopes will be a very long time.

On the web: thejanepauleyshow.com