Man diagnosed with ALS at 37 shared subtle first symptom he noticed while playing golf
At 37, Dave Hall started to notice subtle physical changes that would lead to an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that damages motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
As these nerve cells deteriorate, muscles weaken, leading to difficulty speaking, swallowing and breathing.
While about five to 10 percent of cases are inherited, the exact cause remains unclear, as life expectancy is around two to five years after symptom onset.
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It comes after Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane passed away earlier this year aged 53, just 10 months after he announced his ALS diagnosis.
The symptom Dave first noticed
The Oklahoma father of two said the first warning sign was after a casual game of golf.
Dave said on his YouTube channel Team Dave Hall that his grip suddenly was weaker and his swing felt a little off.
“I was out golfing and I started noticing something with my swing was a little off. I couldn’t really grip the club like I used to. I was terrible. Don’t let me build a facade that I was good at golf. This was like a short pastime," he said.
"But I could blame it on this grip forever. So I started feeling it about September of 2023, which is a year and a month before the diagnosis. And it just started with the grip in my hands."
Dave noticed something was off again when he was playing poker with his friends and his 'hands seized up'.
Then after months of extensive nerve testing and evaluations, a specialist confirmed the devastating diagnosis in October 2024.
"With ALS, with that diagnosis, they're ruling out everything else before they say this because they don't want to say it's that," he said.
Dave's wife Natalie, who's been caring for him, has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for medical bills and the cost of looking after the family.
“It was new having to take over responsibilities he usually took care of,” Natalie explained to the ALS Association.
“Helping him take a shower, lifting him up from the toilet, feeding him, brushing his teeth, blowing his nose.”
Main symptoms of ALS
According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS starts with mild symptoms that may be hard to notice, such as:
- Trouble walking or doing usual daily activities
- Tripping and falling
- Weakness in the legs, feet or ankles
- Hand weakness or clumsiness
- Slurred speech or trouble swallowing
- Muscle cramps and twitching, along with weakness in the arms, shoulders or tongue
- Crying, laughing or yawning at inappropriate times
- Changes in thinking or behavior
Dave thanked the ALS Association for being by his side at every step.
“Every time we’ve needed something, they’ve been there,” he said.
“Through the loan program, we’ve been provided wheelchairs, a Hoyer lift, and even loaned a motorized chair while we were visiting family, which made all the difference.”
For more information about ALS and support resources, visit the ALS Association.
Anish Vij