Cardinal Newman students and staff came together and supported former Crusader Dean Dave Williams, by participating in the Walk to Defeat ALS, on March 17th. Williams, who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS, was extremely happy to see that Cardinal Newman students, teachers, and faculty were there to support him.

“I didn’t realize how much it would mean to me until it actually happened,” said Williams.

Williams told us that he feels pretty good compared to other patients who are dealing with ALS. “I feel pretty good … Every four or five months I go to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and they do an evaluation on me and I’m feeling pretty well. The main thing that is affecting me now is that there is a weakness in my hands and I have something called ‘foot drop’ in my right foot. I just don’t have the stamina that I had before. Compared to other people, I’m in pretty good shape. I was at an ALS society meeting a few weeks ago and of the eight people there that had ALS, I was the only one there not in a wheelchair. So when I compare myself to other people, I feel that I’m in pretty good shape,” said Williams.

When asked about how he felt about the lack of awareness regarding ALS, Williams said, “I think that people generally know very little about ALS. There are few people that have heard of it though. In the United States, we have about 30,000 people that have it, so the incidents of it are around two per hundred thousand. Previously, I did not know anyone that had it. I did not know much about it growing up. Most people who know anything about it know it from the ice bucket challenge. I’ve talked to adults who have no idea about what I’m talking about and I’ve been very surprised about people who do know about it … both kids and adults. There is so little that is known about it. They, (the medical community) don’t know what causes it. I’m involved in a couple of different studies that they are doing. They don’t know the causes of it. ALS is different for everybody. The symptoms are similar but not completely. Right now there is no cure and so you just have to adjust to a new reality. My life is different now and the plans I was making two years ago are different now. I think the most important thing is to have a positive outlook. I’ve got family support and good people supporting me. That makes it a lot easier.”

Williams told us that he can talk now, but is digitally banking his voice in preparation for when he won’t be able to speak. Williams said that when he loses his voice, he will be able to speak through the computer in his own voice.

Allison Turner, a Sophomore on the tennis team with Williams as Head coach said, “Coach Dave Williams was the perfect coach for our tennis team this year. He was supportive, knowledgeable of the sport, and really cared about us improving our skills and playing to the best of our abilities.”

Maxwell Shaw, another student on the tennis team said,

“Although Mr. Williams had been ill throughout the whole season, he never gave up on being the best possible tennis coach he could be. Despite being limited in his movements, Coach Williams would always hit with us if we needed somebody to hit with or teach us new techniques on the court if we needed guidance. This type of determination that Coach Williams has displayed has taught me and the rest of my teammates to have this same type of determination as we study in school. People like coach Williams help make the world a better place. If we all show the amount of determination Coach Williams has shown, there’s really nothing that we couldn’t accomplish.”