Amidst this dark diagnosis and the six years of rapid, torturous loss of his bodily functions, Brigance still believes in a cure. “Why can’t I be the first one healed from it?” he has said many times.
“I would describe the last five years living with ALS as revealing,” he said before the Super Bowl. “Revealing of who I really am as a husband, son and a friend. I was patient, but could also be stubborn and self-reliant. Over the past five years as my physical abilities have diminished, I have realized what special people I have around me. They have become my hands and feet. Beginning with my wife, my family, my nurses, and friends. I have very special people in my life. I have seen love in action, and that is a blessing!”
“My belief in Jesus Christ has given me the strength to face every day with purpose and passion. I was created specifically to make an impact on families of people with A.L.S.”
As Chanda once said: “Prayer is not a part of our life. Prayer is our life!”
“Every moment he’s awake he’s trying to help people’s lives and will until he meets his maker,” said Gathagan, who has known him longer than anyone in Baltimore. “He’s the best human being I’ve ever met. Period. It’s an honor to know him and to have known him all of these years.”
