FALLS CHURCH, Va. – There are no two ways about it. Mary Porter is a force to be reckoned with, and it’s very easy to see that in person. “I’m going to suck the life out of you,” the retired Army major explained.
Porter, an Army doctor, had just completed 15 years of service and started private practice when he was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “On February 18, 2021, I was diagnosed with ALS. At the time, I was more exhausted than usual in the previous 6-12 months, and by the end of my shift I was having problems with my legs and feeling weak. ,” Porter said.
She explained that it was all due to the fact that we were caught up in the COVID-19 crisis. She worked in a private clinic in Oregon, and her family had a farm, so she spent her days off cultivating lavender fields. Her symptoms rapidly worsened. “The neurologist saw me right away, ran some tests, and told me I had ALS. I burst into tears.”
Her doctor suggested a second opinion and it was confirmed that she had ALS. The symptoms they found had probably been present for 6 to 12 months. “It was very early for me to really get into a wheelchair. He said I had a short time to live and needed to retire soon. It hit me like a lightning bolt. I was unprepared for the diagnosis. I quit my job right away, and my life changed forever.”
Porter explained how the depression started, especially when the first winter came. “I’ve been skiing all my life. We lived 15 minutes from the mountain resort where I studied, and now I couldn’t ski anymore. I was devastated. Then I learned about adaptive skiing through the ALS Association, and it was a game changer.”
It’s called sit skiing, and Porter does it with great enthusiasm. She feels she has been given a new lease on life. “It wasn’t scary at all. I mean, because of the diagnosis, I know I’m going to die soon. It’s kind of a morbid perspective, and do I want to die in bed or whatever I want? Do you want to die while doing something? That’s how you look at life when you’re told you have two to four years left to live.”
She is training hard for the Winter Invictus Games in Toronto in February and is proud to be a part of Team US. This is another complete game changer and a solid point about the importance of adaptive sports in her world. “I know the Invictus competition is coming up, so this year I’m a completely different person than I was last year and I have to be at my peak. ALS is a recurring disease. What many people don’t know is that the gift of adaptive sports is that the more engaged you are in your sport, the better you feel.”
For Porter, the world of adaptive sports has many gifts. “I’ve done a few different adaptive sports. Besides skiing, I’ve learned to do things like sitting volleyball and shooting. But it’s more than an adaptive sport. The people I’ve met have made lifelong connections. Every time my husband and I go to an event, we gather two or three more people that we bond with and stay in touch with forever.”
Porter’s fearless determination is inspiring, but she says she feels like she’s getting more than she’s giving. “I am inspired by the warriors I have met. I mean, some of the skiers are blind, and I wonder how they have the courage to do something like that.” is in awe of them. For those who don’t know who would want to throw themselves on a mountain like that. It’s very moving. We have soldiers who just lost limbs, and yet they’re here with the SRU, just sucking out the bones of life in adaptive sports, and they have smiles on their faces. , encouraging people like me. As a doctor, I wonder how you do that.”
Her husband, Alex, was her rock, keeping her from falling, helping her with daily activities, and helping her train. He also helps her find silver linings in her life with ALS, and Porter says there have been many. “So many people are now in my life through adaptive sports. My family has moved nearby. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t been terminally ill.” Porter said.
She is excited and humbled to be a part of these historic games. “Before I found out about the Winter Invictus Games, I would spend all winter in bed. I wouldn’t be training. Now I have a purpose, a mission, a mission. I’m a completely different enthusiastic It’s human.”
When she’s on skis at the top of a mountain, she’s a completely different person, and she realizes it every time she comes down. “It’s like holding up two middle fingers to ALS. I chuckle and think this is the only time in my life where I don’t feel like I have ALS. This is a new and challenging sport. I’m going to give it a shot!”
A further challenge for Porter is determining when enough is enough. She explains the amazing gift of adaptive sports and how it has shaped her life. “I don’t mean to be dramatic, but I am going to be dramatic. They gave me a prescription for death with dignity. I live in Oregon, but if you take a lethal dose of a prescription drug, you die.” It’s one of the states that can get you there. They gave me a prescription right after I was diagnosed. If it wasn’t for Adaptive Sports, I would have already been on it. Sports gave me hope when I was suffering from a hopeless illness.I feel that my life today is thanks to adaptive sports.
Photographed: January 13, 2025 Posted: January 15, 2025 11:12 Story ID: 488990 Location: United States Web Views: 22 Downloads: 0
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This work is Soldier with ALS says he owes his life to adaptive sportsby mary therese griffinidentified by DVIDSsubject to the restrictions set forth at https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
