ALS Across America

Denise Swallow - North Riverside, Illinois

Greater Chicago Chapter

Denise
Jon, Joey, Denise, and Jessica Swallow

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.  This maxim certainly applies to Denise Swallow.  The 46-year-old mother of three learned from doctors in September 2011 she has ALS. This fatal, neurological muscular disease affects a person’s ability to walk, eat, speak, and breathe. Swallow, however, does not allow the disease to negatively affect her relationships, and she continually strives to educate her community about this disease.

This May, The ALS Association’s Greater Chicago Chapter is honoring Swallow and her caregiver, her mother Annette Rehder, during ALS Awareness Month for the annual “ALS Across America” campaign. 

“Denise is an amazing mother and advocate for awareness and education about ALS,” said Joumana Baroody, the chapter’s care services coordinator, who meets with Swallow on a regular basis.  Swallow works closely with the chapter and has helped it secure a new location for patient and caregiver support group meetings in Riverside, Illinois.  At these monthly meetings, individuals and their families battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease share their ideas and stories on how they cope with ALS.

Swallow’s family plays an integral role in helping her to manage her disease.  Rehder provides most of the hands-on care in assisting her daughter with daily living activities.  “Annette is amazing,” Baroody said.  “She has taken on all the household duties and is there emotionally and spiritually for her daughter and grandchildren.”

ALS has impacted Swallow’s professional life as she retired from her job as a marketing sales representative at Consolidated Auto Service in December 2011.  “Her 14-year-old daughter Jessica has ‘stepped up’ to help care for her mother,” said Baroody.  Swallow remains devoted to Jessica as well as to her sons Joey, 12, and Jonathon, 9, both of whom are avid sports enthusiasts. 

Swallow also shows dedication to those battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  “Denise is a wonderful spokesperson for the ALS community.  She has participated as a speaker at events sharing her story with others and has encouraged the community to get involved in the fight against ALS.  She has allowed herself to be a person of observation at the University of Chicago Medical School permitting students to learn first-hand of the disease,” Baroody said.

According to Baroody, Swallow plans on attending the National ALS Advocacy Day and Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. in May.


The ALS Association