Meet the Five

DENISE GLASS lives in the Santa Monica mountains of Los Angeles. She has worked as a legal secretary; executive assistant, and even ran her own business at one point. Late in 1999, Denise noticed that her speech had slowed and swallowing had become difficult. After several misdiagnoses, she was diagnosed with non-hereditary sporadic ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. A neurodegenerative disease, ALS will eventually travel down her spine and affect her arms, legs and points in between. There is no cure or treatment. Although her family lives in the nearby suburbs of LA, Denise is a self-reliant woman who has chosen to fight her disease independently.

BUZZ BAY lives with his wife Susan and son Ryan in Franklin, Indiana, a small town twenty-five miles south of Indianapolis. In August 2001, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma—doctors had discovered a malignant tumor in his stomach. Since then, his cancer has become more active and spread to his cerebellum. A devout Christian, Buzz believes that a positive attitude is 98% of the battle. He started working as a hospice volunteer in 2005 and a year later joined the staff. His devotion to his faith and church is the linchpin of his life.

BEN CUMBO is a student at Saint Mary’s College of Maryland and grew up just outside of Washington D.C. At three, Ben was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of the disease, which causes muscles in the body to become very weak. There are a few experimental treatments and there is no cure. In order to integrate his illness into his life, his parents became active in the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association when he was eight. Eventually, Ben became the Washington Goodwill Ambassador. Ben, who lives his life in a wheelchair, must rely on others while navigating his life at school.

SARAH LEVIN is a social worker who works with middle class kids and those from Cleveland’s poorest neighborhoods. Only four when she had her first colonoscopy, Sarah has no memories of a carefree childhood. But it wasn’t until she was fifteen after undergoing surgery to remove her colon that doctors realized that she had Crohn’s Disease, which affects the upper GI tract. She is on a regimen of prednisone, a steroid that causes her face to swell, stunted her growth and gives her horrible acne. Sarah lives close to her parents, who she relies upon, especially her mother, who has played an important role in her care. Sarah married her husband Ben in October 2007.

LARRY FRICKS lives in Cleveland, Georgia and was diagnosed in 1984 with bipolar disorder. In denial of his illness, Larry spent much of the mid-80s in and out of mental hospitals, using alcohol to control his manic periods. He is married to Grace, who has worked as an advocate for people with developmental disabilities. Larry works as a mental health professional. In 1996, Larry spoke at a White House conference where the first surgeon general’s report on mental health was released. Although he fights every day against the stigma of mental illness, Larry has said he would change nothing “To take my illness, would be to remove the meaning and purpose I now have. Mine is a purposeful life.”