Josh Wandell comes to EHS to talk about life, faith with ALS
Published 8:17 am Monday, November 19, 2018
- Star Photo/Andrew Wadovick Josh Wandell was diagnosed with ALS in 2013. Despite the two to four-year life expectancy for most peole with the disease, Wandell has continued to relay the importance os his slogan "Faith over Fear" to whoever he can speak to.
Life is short, sometimes deceptively so, and when something comes along to threaten or even end it, life has a way of showing people what they truly care about. For Josh Wandell, his faith never stopped being the focus of his life.
A former principal of East Side Elementary School, Wandell came to Elizabethton High School to talk about his experience living with ALS and the faith lessons it has taught him over the years.
“Rather than focusing on the bad, I choose to focus on being as normal as possible,” Wandell said.
ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare disease that degrades the parts of the nervous system meant to translate signals form the brain into motion by muscles. Over time, patients lose the ability to walk, to speak and to breathe. The average life expectancy is between two and four years.
Wandell said his personal slogan, “Faith over Fear,” keeps him going.
“God has defeated death, so why should I fear it?” he said.
Wandell said he has already out-lived the average life expectancy, and he attributes this to the support he has received and his faith.
“God is not finished with me yet,” Wandell said.
Even with his faith, however, Wandell said he still needs assistance with his daily life.
Nurses help him get ready every morning, including getting food down a tube that connects to his stomach to a vibrating chest pad that helps clear his lungs of obstructions.
“I have 24-hour care,” Wandell said. “This is great, but it means I do not get alone time with [my wife] Tabitha. […] It puts a strain on our relationship.”
Despite this, he said he relies on her for his involvement in the professional world, including insurance and medical care.
“She is my rock,” Wandell said.
He said one of the hardest parts of living with ALS is people’s perceptions of him.
“People sometimes treat you like you are sick or dying,” he said. “I am not sick. I prefer to be a high-maintenance dad.”
Wandell had some advice he wished to impart to his high school audience.
He said to cling to what will last, what will truly matter.
“Not sports, because it will end,” he said. “Not to your spouse, because she will see me die at 44. Not my family, because my children will see me die before they graduate college.”
Wandell said people should think about the kind of legacy they will leave behind, but that they should change their perspective on what a legacy is about.
“Stop building your legacy and find someone to carry it on,” he said.
Wandell summarized his views on his disease and what it means for his faith.
“ALS is the platform God uses to spread his message,” Wandell said. “To those facing a hard time, find a friend to share your struggle.”