Golf fundraiser will benefit Elgin man diagnosed with ALS

A year and a half ago, on the other side of The Diagnosis, Cory Sanderson of Elgin was a 42-year-old picture of health: Working out in the evening with his wife, Dawn, and their twin sons to earn a black belt in kyuki-do martial arts. Working in the daytime as vice president of sales for the South Elgin manufacturer Koepfer America. Playing golf with friends.

Then, in January 2015, came The Diagnosis — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the same mysterious and incurable nerve-wasting illness that killed Lou Gehrig in the 1940s.

Today Sanderson can barely move his right arm and hand. He shuffles along from couch to chair only slowly and painfully, his left foot dragging.

As he explains his situation during an interview, it is Dawn who does most of the talking. When Cory jumps in himself to add some detail, the words struggle from his mouth with painful slowness, one at a time: “Mayo — also — had — two — clinical — trials — that — were — open.”

The martial arts workouts now are limited to him watching his sons, now 12 years old, do their thing. And the golf in his future will be played without his joining in, as a group of fraternity brothers from his days at Purdue University put on a fundraiser Monday, June 13, to pay for some home remodeling and to benefit the Les Turner ALS Foundation.

Dawn Sanderson said the first signs of trouble were subtle. In November 2014, when Cory earned his kyuki-do black belt, he noticed some weakness while doing squats. And when the family gathered for Christmas a month later, she noticed her husband was slurring his words.

They went to their doctor. She said his chest muscles seemed unusually tight and his tongue wasn't working right.

That led to exams by a battery of doctors at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The final verdict: Like Lou Gehrig, Cory had ALS.

The next few years likely would see more and more of his muscles become paralyzed by the cascading failure of the nerves controlling them — in what order and at what pace, no one could tell — until he could no longer even breathe.

“His treatment is basically symptoms management,” Dawn said. “We hope we can slow it down until somebody finds a cure.”

At night, for example, Cory said he now sleeps hooked up to a BIPAP machine to keep his breathing going as the muscles of his diaphragm and chest become increasingly uncooperative.

He also takes seven kinds of medicine every day to relieve cramps, fight depression, and reduce the flow of saliva he can no longer swallow. One pill is designed to counter a bizarre side effect of the disease that messes with Cory's emotions.

“We can be watching a really sad movie and all of a sudden he'll start laughing uncontrollably,” Dawn said. “Or he can be having an ordinary conversation with somebody and suddenly start crying.”

Cory said his boss at Koepfer, where he has worked for 21 years, has been very understanding. Despite Cory's inability to speak at normal speed or use his right hand, he is even able to continue working limited hours, communicating with salespeople and customers via emails he types using his weaker left hand.

Scientists keep working on possible cures and the Sandersons hope to become involved in a clinical trial for one that could turn out at last to be the magic bullet. But so far Northwestern and Mayo have no openings for new clinical trials.

“You just don't know what your journey is going to be with this disease,” Dawn said. “The average ALS patient lives three to five years after being diagnosed. But one woman we met passed away after just one year.

“On the other hand, we met one guy in Florida last week who has had ALS for five years,” Dawn said. “He's in a chair and has a feeding tube, but he can use his eyes to communicate. And Stephen Hawking the astrophysicist has lived with ALS for a long time now.”

The golf outing and dinner, which his fraternity brothers have named The Sanderson Cup, will be held on Monday, June 13, at Elgin Country Club. To register for the golf and/or the dinner, visit www.sandersoncup.com.

The Sandersons said their health insurance pays for most of their monumental medical and drug bills, but Cory's trouble moving means they need to modify their home in Elgin's Providence subdivision — adding a bedroom on the first floor, widening doors to accommodate a wheelchair, building a wheelchair ramp to the outside world.

The family also has set up a Cory Sanderson crowdfunding account at www.youcaring.com.

“Cory's brain is still functioning,” Dawn said. “He's still the same guy. He's just trapped in a body that doesn't respond.”

How you can help: The Sanderson Cup

What: The Sanderson Cup, a golf outing fundraiser

To benefit: Cory Sanderson of Elgin, who has ALS, and the Les Turner ALS Foundation

When: Monday, June 13, with registration at noon, a shotgun start at 1 p.m. and dinner at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Elgin Country Club, 2575 Weld Road, Elgin

Cost: $195 per golfer, $50 for dinner only

Details and registration: <a href="http://www.sandersoncup.com">www.sandersoncup.com</a>

Can't make it? Donate online at <a href="https://www.youcaring.com/cory-sanderson-560634/donate#wp">youcaring.com</a>