Please Help Us Strike Out ALS! Just a few months before his anticipated retirement and dream of perfecting his golf game, my precious husband, Jim Hilliard, was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Words no one ever wants to hear and words that have now changed our lives forever. The news is devastating, but we have a strong will to fight and an even stronger faith in God.
The fight lasted nearly 4 years and on September 12, 2021, our Jim Hilliard conquered ALS and left his broken body behind for glory and eternity with his Heavenly Father. There are no words when a heart is grieving and broken. ALS is cruel, but Jim Hilliard faced it with courage, grace, and a faith that was amazing. He never complained and he had a quick wit that kept everyone laughing. He loved Jesus and was unashamed at how he had come to the truth of the Gospel. His family was EVERYTHING to him. There is a hole in my heart that cannot be filled. He will me greatly missed.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is devastating. It slowly kills the body’s motor neurons, paralyzing every muscle in the body until patients lose their ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. Today, there is no cure. Life expectancy is 2-5 years.
Team Hilliard is transitioning in 2022! Stay Tuned!
Jim has had such a rich life and accomplished career. He is an athlete and a scholar, played college football on full scholarship at The University of Texas (Hook’em Horns)! He then graduated from The University of Texas at Galveston Medical Branch with his doctorate and enjoyed a 35-year career as an Orthopedic Surgeon in Arlington, Texas.
Jim is, first and foremost, a follower of Christ and the love of my life for nearly 32 years. He is an awesome Dad to our three sons and most recently a grandfather! His many loves are to spend time with family and friends, read, create wonders in the kitchen and keep up with our youngest son’s professional baseball career as an outfielder for the Colorado Rockies. Sam had his Major League Debut on August 27, 2019. Family and friends are what Jim treasures most.
Facing a disease with no cure leaves us feeling helpless. Other than prayer, our only weapon is supporting the researchers who are racing the clock to find a cure.
Two and a half years after his diagnosis, Jim now has no use of his arms, legs, or hands, is permanently in a power wheelchair, is dependent on a forced air ventilator to breathe, and is slurring his speech. ALS is brutal and we want desperately to see a cure found for this awful disease.
We are now publicly sharing our story because there is a desperate need for funds to help advance research. ALS is rare and the patient base does not really grow in size.
Every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed, and every 90 minutes someone loses their battle.
We want to help and we have chosen ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) as our Charity of Choice. Here is why.
Our family wishes to see the day when no other family has to go through this experience of battling ALS. We are committed to helping raise awareness and funding for ALS research. The ALS Therapy Development Institute and its scientists actively discover and develop treatments for ALS. They are the world's first and largest nonprofit biotech focused 100 percent on ALS research. Led by people with ALS and drug development experts, they understand the urgent need to slow and stop this disease.
Team Hilliard T-shirts on Hold till 2022!
We have created a Tee Shirt site for Team Hilliard to show support for Jim and the entire Team Hilliard Family as we fight this awful disease. There are so many potential treatments on the horizon...we are praying for a cure!!
100% of Proceeds will be benefitting ALS TDI and ALS Association of Texas.
Photo Courtesy of The Colorado Rockies
"ALS is not an incurable disease, it is an underfunded one."
If you wish to send Jim a note of encouragement, you can email teamhilliard88@gmail.com