The following is an account of one man’s passionate life journey despite Lou Gehrigs Disease ALS.
The thick Alabama heat bears down on Michael in a heavy blanket of sweat. A cool breeze flicks across his face, temporarily distracting him from the beads of moisture above his brow. He squints his eyes against the sun and concentrates on the quarterback. The play begins, and he watches as his players scramble across the field, jockeying for their rightful positions. The pigskin is tossed and sails easily into the arms of the wide receiver who clutches it to his chest, running at full speed. Slowly, Michael reaches to grab the whistle hanging around his neck, and gives two quick blows.
The team jogs over in a wave of musty determination, panting. The usual pep talk ensues before the boys are dismissed to hit the showers and head home after a long practice. As the players trot laughing and hollering back to the locker room, Michael takes a deep breath, tightens his grip on the dark brown canes in his large hands, and ambles quietly towards his office, pensive.
Michael Ortega is living with ALS. He has proven, however, that a man is not his disease, and it does not stop him from living his dream daily.
Since a young age, football has enticed him. He played in college for a few years before heading back home to coach. He believes that football taught him to be the man he is today, and he wants to pass on the virtues of integrity, discipline, and teamwork to ensure a better world than the one he came into.
Through instilling the virtues he learned years ago from the game, he hopes that by spreading his message of integrity, discipline, and teamwork he can make a difference in the lives of each and every individual he comes into contact with, this effecting a more positive change in the world as a whole. Michael understands the realities of his situations, and has even had to miss practice a few times this year, but for him, it is not about struggling through his ALS, it is simply about being who he is.
He leads by example, and wants to show his son that nothing can stand in the way of your dreams, but you. There are no limits to what can be accomplished if you just set your mind to it. Determination and optimism is key. In his words, though we cannot control the wind of our adverse conditions, we can adjust the sails.
The chaotic nature of life leads some to think that everything is random and that nothing matters. I believe though, that it is all intricately connected and interwoven. Your actions in the past have made you who you are today and will affect the world around you. Understanding that life is and always will be a temporary thing allows you to focus on the more important aspects of it while you are here.
Years ago, my eighth grade history teacher said to us, fill your dash. No one knows how long we have on this earth when we arrive. All that we can do with our time here on earth is to be the inspiration we wish to see in the world. Michael’s determination to be a positive force in the world around him draws people near him. His players look up to him and see him as something to emulate. He is an inspiration in his community and is doing all that he can to embrace and enjoy his time left.
In the words of Gandhi, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Life is short and sweet, and the seas are turbulent, but when need be, you can always just adjust your sails.
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