Imagine waking up, and the only mobility you have is your eyes? You cannot move, speak, are on a feeding tube, a trach for breathing and a suction machine.
You depend on everyone around you to take care of you. Your mind is perfectly clear, but you speak and write with your eyes.
These are the daily challenges that ALS patient Jay Smith faces. Jay is married and has two young daughters. There is no cure or effective medical treatment, and each day, this progressive disease gets slightly worse.
How would you live your life?
In 2012, after retiring, Gene and Barb Smith purchased a home in Cape May. In 2014, their son was diagnosed with ALS. Their focus had to be on keeping their son alive.
Jay vowed to make a difference. He opened a foundation to fund research, visited Washington trying to get laws changed, and won leadership awards from ALS/TDI. Before ALS, he owned a tech company, and today, he is using those skills to invent technology for all disabled.
Most recently, he created “Independence Drive,” a program for steering your wheelchair with your eyes. He’s now working on “Collision Drive.”
As a prolific writer, with an incredible sense of humor, Jay has 50,000 followers on Facebook, giving hope to others.
His biggest challenge today is the cost of staying alive, with $160,000 of out of pocket expenses.
Jay’s friends and family are hosting an event to fund his Medical Trust Jan. 25 at PineCrest Country Club, in Landsdale, Pa., near where he grew up.
To find out how you can attend or donate, log on to standupforjay.com, or contact his mother, Barb, at (215) 601-2529 or besmith8000@gmail.com.
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