Kemp warns how fast life can change

Tammy Kemp can’t remember a time when she wasn’t playing sports. Athleticism has always come easy and been part of her life.

In fact, when she went to college at Indiana University, she played on the university’s volleyball team.

She has always been healthy. Last year at this time she was training for the Indianapolis Mini Marathon with a friend.

However, things took a turn for the worse in the fall and showed her and her family that despite how healthy you may be, bad things can happen.

In September, Tammy noticed that her right index finger wasn’t working quite the way it should. Then, it moved into her right hand. She had little strength and had a hard time with simple tasks, like taking a pan out of the oven.

Her husband, Jeff, became concerned. Both of them have a medical background and knew that something wasn’t right. Jeff tried to get her an appointment to see a neurologist, but the wait to get in was about six months. They knew they couldn’t wait that long, so Jeff went to work on applying to get her into the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The hospital got back in contact with them within days and an appointment was set.

Her neck was out of whack and the Kemps were hoping it was something as simple as a pinched nerve. However, after hearing her symptoms and performing some x-rays and tests, the doctor was almost 100 percent sure she had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS.

She was recommended to a doctor in Louisville who confirmed their worst fears. In October 2017, she was officially diagnosed with the disease. Jeff said someone diagnosed with ALS is given a two to five year life expectancy. However, they try not to dwell on that.

The doctor performed a nerve stimulation test on Tammy to see how her muscles reacted. She explained that with ALS your muscles slowly die. After three EMG tests, all came back positive.

Tammy said she can see the muscles twitching in her arms and her legs regularly.

Despite the diagnosis, Tammy said she is doing relatively well and staying as positive as she can. She started using a cane and then transitioned to a walker. 

Every three months she goes to an ALS clinic at Frazier Rehab. She sees a variety of doctors including her main doctor, an occupational therapist and a respiratory therapist during the day and then they meet to discuss her condition and how she is doing. The most recent appointment didn’t go as well as they had hoped.

Jeff said she has progressed further than they were expecting and ordered a wheelchair and hospital bed for them to use at home. Last week she was measured for an electric wheelchair.

“I fell pretty hard several weeks ago, so I’ve tried to be more careful since then,” said Tammy.

With ALS, no two patients are the same and the Kemps are taking the disease day by day.

Tammy said if she does too much at once, then she is down and out for a couple of days. This makes it especially hard since she and Jeff have two young girls. Abigail is 13 and Caroline is 10.

“It’s just crazy,” she said, about her decline in mobilization. “I never would have imagined it would happen to me. A year ago, I was training for a mini marathon.”

Jeff chimed in that Kemp was a college athlete and has always been healthy.

“It’s just proof that this disease can effect anyone,” he said. 

Tammy is adopted. She said her father died from Parkinson’s Disease and her mother has Alzheimers and lives in the nursing home. She said it is ironic that all three diseases, her parents’ and her own, are related neurologically.

She has tried a couple different medications, one which claims to slow down the disease by about 30%, but has not seen any improvement in her condition.

Because Tammy is not 65, they fall into an odd spot and can’t purchase Gap Insurance to help with her medical coverage.

Friends have felt helpless since finding out about Tammy’s diagnosis and have done several things to help show their support, including setting up meal trains.

Friend and neighbor Carol Hickey set up the meals for the Kemp family and they have appreciated it greatly.

“The meal train has made me fat!” laughed Tammy.

Jeff said they have installed a wheelchair ramp at the house, thanks to the help of Meredith Peters, to get her in and out of the door and have put in an order for a hospital bed and a power wheelchair. They also will be looking to convert their van to accommodate the new chair.

“ALS is not a cheap disease to have,”  said Jeff.

Despite all the obstacles they have come across, Tammy said their daughters have handled everything well.

“They are helping me a lot,” she said. “This summer, we plan on spending a lot of family time together. I try to stay positive as much as I can.”

She said having good family and friends help. Many people have offered to take her girls to their various activities and take pictures for her when she cannot be there.

Tammy’s best friend from college, Tammy Lewis, lives in Crown Point, but has made several trips to visit and constantly gives moral support to Tammy. She said the support of her friends means so much to her and her family.

The Kemps moved to the community in 2002 and are overwhelmed by the support they have received. 

On May 12, Tammy turns 50 years old. That same day, a group of friends is walking in her honor for the fight against ALS.

The organizers of the team are her best friend Tricia Wheeler and Hickey. The Kemps said Amy Whistler has also been so helpful in supporting them and being there when they need it.

“One of the best things about living in a small town is how people come together and help each other through difficult times,” said Hickey. “That’s what we are trying to do for Tammy. The ALS walk is about raising awareness and raising money to fund research, but for me the most important part is just being there to show the Kemps that they don’t have to go through this alone.”

Wheeler said she and Kemp have been best friends for just a couple of years.

“She wanted to go see Garth and asked me to take her when he came to Louisville,” she said. “I did and we’ve been soul sisters since. Even though her body is weakening, she is one of the strongest women I know. ALS may be breaking her body but it will never break her spirit.”

The Kemps are honored by their friends’ efforts to put a team together and help fight the disease.

“Because ALS is not incurable, it’s underfunded,” said Jeff.

Anyone interested in making a donation to the ALS team in Tammy’s honor can visit: http://webky.alsa.org/site/TR?fr_id=13020&pg=team&team_id=367018.