Local ALS Clinic celebrates 5th anniversary

• Clinic opens its door to ALS patients every second Saturday of the month.

The force of his breath made Tommy Mastrodicasa's arms shake as he exhaled into a small pipe-like object that measures respiratory strength.

"Ten more of these and we are all done," Michael Reeser, a registered respiratory therapist, said to Mastrodicasa.

Mastrodicasa looked at Reeser with alarm. "Just kidding," Reeser said. "Just one more."

Those in the examining room chuckled as Mastrodicasa blew into the tube one last time.

Mastrodicasa, 51, has been a amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, for four years.

On Saturday, the Naples resident was one of at least eight patients who stopped by the ALS Clinic for a checkup and to see if his condition has worsened. Reeser has to make sure Mastrodicasa's lungs and diaphragm are working correctly to continue breathing.

Each second Saturday of the month, Lee Memorial's Sleep Disorders Clinic doubles as the ALS Clinic where patients can be seen by specialists during one appointment. Saturday the clinic celebrated its fifth anniversary.

As patients like Mastrodicasa waited in one examination room, a team of specialists, including a speech therapist, registered dietitian, physical therapist, social worker and a psychologist gathered in a conference room to discuss their patients' cases.

The goal is to get patients in and out as quickly as possible, said Carol Emmick, the clinic's coordinator.

On Saturday, the clinic welcomed six new patients. In one year, it serves about 265, Emmick said. Because ALS does not have a cure, the breadth of the clinic's work is to keep patients comfortable.

The clinic does not turn away patients who are unable to pay for treatment, Emmick said. Since the ALS Association began drawing donations, the local clinic has received about $16,000 to help care for patients here. Estimates show a one-day examination is $300 for each patient, according to Duane Higgins, director of development at the Lee Memorial Health System Foundation.

Two years into the disease, Mastrodicasa stopped drumming, something he's done since his teens. He once played in a band that opened for Bruce Springsteen.

"I had to bow out gracefully," Mastrodicasa said.

Since his diagnosis, Mastrodicasa has grown an online community where he tells others what he's gone through.

"You just keep adapting," Mastrodicasa said.

To help

Anyone interested in donation to the ALS Clinic in Fort Myers can send checks to: MHS ALS Clinic, P.O. Box 2218, Fort Myers, FL 33902.

For information on how to get involved, call (239)343-0636.

Connect with the reporter on Twitter @MelissaMontoyaO