The Ragan’s family friend, Candace, who nominated them, tells their story with compassion, respect and love….

“Tracy,
I would like to nominate a VERY deserving family for your photo shoot and package.
Andrew 44, Kelly 42, Briggs 9, and Quinn Ragan 7, from Saratoga Springs, NY.

I have a ton of stories about this family because I have known them for about 8 ½ + years. It was nearly 4 ½ years ago that Andrew was diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig Disease, a terminal illness that has an average life expectancy of 3-5 years. Andrew’s symptoms began as slurred speech that got him dirty looks in the middle of the day and concern about alcoholism from “the powers that be” on conference calls. We were at a neighborhood party and he told our “group” talk to me now because after this one beer you might not be able to understand me. I remember myself thinking maybe he had Lyme disease or carbon monoxide poisoning. I used to sit at their island asking Andrew, do you have this symptom? Do you have that symptom? It literally plagued me, still does. I can remember walking with Kelly around “the loop” when the diagnosis was still unclear (it takes literally months and then you don’t want to believe it is ALS) her crying uncontrollably, telling me she didn’t want this life for them. You see, they were just beginning everything, Andrew had a great job, they just had their second son, Kelly was getting acclimated to Saratoga and continuing to deliver Meals On Wheels even with two boys, she was getting the boys involved in the community, things were falling in place for them for a perfect life together. Kelly and Andrew met and fell in love in college. When you meet them you’ll understand why they are seriously perfect for each other. They are no stranger to challenges and they have had a few things to overcome together and always do. Unfortunately, ALS is the one thing they cannot beat. It wasn’t long after Andrew’s symptoms that he fell. He was working a job that included extensive, world-wide travel. Once he fell off the escalator at the Albany airport and could not get up…he had to wait for someone to help – this was frightening to us all, especially Andrew.
Shortly after that incident Andrew fell and hurt himself badly, scraping his face while trying to get out of the way of the sprinkler at their home. It became apparent that Andrew needed a cane, this was tough for a 40 year old to accept, and it wasn’t long that the cane was replaced by a walker; it wasn’t long that the walker was replaced by a wheelchair. Speech was first to go – and as you can imagine swallowing because difficult – so it’s been a few years that Andrew has been on a feeding tube. However, I can remember sitting with him on summer afternoons feeding him ice cream sandwiches, he loved ice cream sandwiches and it was a “trust” we shared for him to allow me to feed him – something most of the time only Kelly did – allowing me to wipe his chin, be sure the bites were small enough, etc. Andrew is a man of great pride and had been very strong, well built.

It’s every birthday, Christmas, even this St. Patrick’s that Briggs and Quinn write in everything that comes home from school:
“When Dad gets better…”
“I wish for my Dad to get better…”
“I want to catch a leprechaun so that I can ask for a wish for my Dad to get better” – (Quinn and Briggs both built traps…hoping they would catch a leprechaun!)
I can see them at their birthday parties, all their friends are around and they take that extra second before they blow out the candles, they are wishing for their Dad to get better. I asked Briggs last birthday “what did you wish for?”…it’s always the same. It’s always the same for me too.

Kelly is a pillar of strength. She cannot be away from Andrew for very long at all – even with a Hospice nurse there – her limit is 2 hours because she does everything for Andrew. He no longer has any functional movement in his arms or legs.
She cannot go to a movie, go shopping in Albany, cannot leave town, must be 100% every morning, cannot get sick, cannot lay in bed and watch movies or Oprah, cannot feel her husband hold her, reach for her, go to kiss her, embrace her. However, she puts a smile on her face every day – her smile is even in her voice! Most of the time. She is amazing. I’m completely biased but how she has held onto her sanity this long is amazing to me. She runs the house, takes Andrew to appointments, feeds him, feeds the boys, gets the boys to scouts, parties, pays the bills, runs the house, etc, someone brings her food and she cries and says thank you and there are other people that deserve help. That might be true, but this is their time to accept the help.

Andrew is amazing too…he writes speeches (his first line in a recent letter was: “I wake up every day and think, HOLY COW, I’m still here!” – using an eye gaze system – for ALS Fundraising. He is working hard to bring ALS into the spotlight. Little $ is given to research and therefore a potential cause and/or cure is years and years away. Not only does Andrew work with the local ALS chapter he and Kelly also work to help a national not-for-profit ALS Guardian Angels which helps to assist ALS patients with the overwhelming costs of ALS while victims are still alive. They have been recipients of this organization when the costs were overwhelming. It would be easy and understandable for them to feel sorry for themselves, but they are helping to be sure something is on the horizon for future victims. At the last Race for Ragan Andrew prepared a speech that included this quote: “I wish I could pop up and say to everyone “surprise just kidding”. That certainly would be an elaborate way to get everyone we love to interrupt their life’s for a selfish reunion. I think God has sense of humor too. I will just have to wait for the punch line.”

In writing this I was thinking…
After we’re gone, what is there, really? Pictures.
That’s why this family is really perfect for you to select.
There are lots of candid shots of them…but professional photos? None. They aren’t the type to splurge…there is medication, devices, and home modifications are they paying out of pocket on a limited income.
I cannot think of a family more deserving then them right now or better person than you to capture their life, their love, their family. That is what you feel in their home, around all the “inevitable” you really do feel the love of this family.”
Candace Zlotnick

To help the Ragan Family:
www.friendsofandrewragan.org

To help ALS Guardian Angels:
www.alsguardianangels.com

To help the local Albany ALS Center – St. Peter’s Hospital
http://www.sphcs.org/ALSRegionalCenter

Andrew, Kelly, Briggs and Quinn: “It was such an honor meet you and document your beautiful family.  You will always be in my heart.”