Copyright 2004 Paddock Publications, Inc.
Chicago Daily Herald
October 29, 2004 Friday
Cook Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 3
LENGTH: 413 words
BYLINE: Avian Carrasquillo, Daily Herald Staff Writer

Despite receiving treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Wheeling Trustee Trevor Lehmann's mobility and ability to speak clearly have worsened.

In September, the news that a controversial treatment for ALS had shown improvement in some patients gave the Lehmann family hope.

The treatment, known as olfactory ensheathing cells transplantation involves the injection of fetal cells into the brain of patients.

On the weekend of Sept. 11, Lehmann and his sister, Emilie, left for Beijing, where the procedure is performed. Earlier this month they returned but not with the results they had hoped for.

"Trevor did show some initial improvement after his surgery. Besides arriving home with a shaved head, he had less saliva, reduced choking and was able to move his tongue more," said Jennifer Lehmann, Lehmann's wife.

"On the negative side, the disease continued to progress while he was in China," she said. "Trevor has no use of his legs and therefore can't stand or walk. He also lost the use of his arms and hands. While he can still move his limbs he can no longer do anything for himself."

While the couple was celebrating the news they would be having twins in April, they also had to deal with the fact that he was no longer able to care for himself.

To address this, the couple enlisted the help of Season's Hospice, a team of five health-care professionals, until they could find a full-time rehabilitation center. After meeting with physicians at Alexian Brothers rehabilitation in Elk Grove, Lehmann was admitted Monday.

Lehmann will receive speech, and physical rehabilitation over the next three weeks.

Another hurdle for the couple is that Lehmann's continued care will be dependent on his improvement, because it is currently being covered by Medicare.

Despite the adversity, Lehmann's goal is to be able to speak again. He plans to take a wait-and-see approach with his treatment before deciding whether or not to continue on the village board.

Since being diagnosed with ALS in mid-March, the disease has progressed rapidly. Throughout, Lehmann has continued to serve on the board and as an advocate to find a cure for the disease by lobbying Congress in Washington, D.C., and collecting money for a local ALS foundation.

Lehmann's determination to fight comes as no surprise to close friend and fellow trustee Dean Argiris.

"Anybody who knows Trevor would know that he is a dedicated person, he's not the type to give up, he likes to see everything through," Argiris said.