Andres Albaladejo noticed a twitch in his left arm in April 2023 but did not think it was anything sinister
A 41 year old man was left reeling after a “bizarre” twitch in his arm led to a devastating diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), giving him a mere two years to live. Andres and his wife Carmen, 39, initially dismissed the twitch that appeared in April 2023 as nothing serious.
However, despite a chiropractor suggesting it was just a trapped nerve, the persistent weakness in Andres’ arm prompted a visit to a neurologist. After undergoing three electromyography tests to assess muscle electrical activity, he was referred to an ALS clinic in October 2023.
The clinic delivered the shattering news that Andres had ALS, a disease that progressively destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and estimated he had two to three years left. In a bid to combat the illness, Andres tried stem cell therapy in September 2024, which temporarily helped but has since lost its effect.
Now, Carmen is focused on creating lasting memories with Andres and their 11 year old daughter, Sophia. Andres, who previously worked as a school resource officer in Tampa, Florida, expressed his heartbreak: “I was heartbroken when I heard the news, like my life was being taken from me piece by piece – I still have so much of me to give.”
A heartbroken dad has spoken out about the agony of being diagnosed with a terminal illness, admitting the hardest part is knowing he won’t see his little girl grow up.
Andres said: “I’m angry that I won’t be here to see my little girl grow into the smart, kind, and beautiful woman I know she will be. I think that hurts the most. Instead, she has to watch me fall apart in front of her eyes.
“I just hope that throughout all of this, my daughter still sees me as her hero, as I face this disease with determination and strength.”
The first sign that something was wrong came in April 2023, when Andres’ wife Carmen noticed his left arm was twitching. Initially, they thought it was just a pinched nerve, but as time went on, Andres started to experience weakness in his arm.
Carmen, a senior accountant, recalled: “I noticed the twitching in his left arm and asked what was going on. It was bizarre. I asked if he could feel it, if he was doing anything to make it twitch, but he said no.”
The couple visited a chiropractor in June 2023, who took an x-ray that showed some nerve compression. However, despite treatment, the arm weakness persisted, and Andres was referred to a neurologist.
Carmen said: “At the time, the doctors said they were going to schedule him for a disc replacement surgery for the disc that was compressing his nerve.
“But before they went ahead and did that, they did three EMGs with the neurologist becoming more concerned each time as the twitching was traveling to his chest.”
Andres was subsequently moved to an ALS clinic, where he was diagnosed with ALS – the same condition that Stephen Hawking had – after a strength test. He was given a prognosis of two to five years.
The diagnosis left Andres and Carmen in shock and confusion, leading them to seek a second opinion, which confirmed the ALS diagnosis.
Carmen said: “From having a pinched nerve to being diagnosed with a terminal disease eight months later – we were in shock and denial. It was devastating, you can never imagine it happening to you or a loved one.
“In eight months, our lives completely changed. We thought it was nerve compression, and now Andres has a terminal illness with a prognosis of two to five years. It is a lot to hear in one appointment.”
At present, Andres is on an ALS medication to slow down the progression of the disease. In September 2024, friends, family and strangers rallied together to raise $26,235 (£19,365) for stem cell therapy in the Cayman Islands in an attempt to slow down or reverse the progression of the disease.
Currently, there are no Food and Drug Administration-approved stem cell therapies for ALS available in the US, but several trials are underway to investigate the safety and efficacy of using stem cells to potentially slow or halt the progression.
Carmen stated that the treatment worked, but the effects have now worn off, and they can’t afford another round of treatment. She said: “We are facing the disease head-on and dealing with it every day.
“At this point, we are getting our affairs in order, as we can not see any promising treatments we can afford. We are trying to stay strong and make the best out of our situation.”
Carmen recently purchased a special book for their daughter, Sofia, to work on with Andres, creating lasting memories. Carmen explained: “It is called ‘about my father’ a book that she will put together.
“She will get to ask him questions about his childhood, and get to know him from a different perspective. It allows her to have something that she could treasure forever.”