Dudley Jourdan, Covington, Louisiana
Dudley and Christine Jourdan
Firefighters come face-to-face with their mortality each time they encounter a large blaze in a building or an out-of-control inferno. Retired fire captain Dudley Jourdan battled many flames during his career in New Orleans, but today he is fighting ALS. The disease has impacted Jourdan’s muscular strength, mobility and speech. Despite these challenges, Jourdan works to educate others about Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which doctors diagnosed him with in August 2009.
The Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter of The ALS Association recognizes Jourdan and his wife and caregiver, Christine, in May during ALS Awareness Month for the annual “ALS Across America” campaign.
“Dudley’s desire to tell the public about ALS inspires our chapter,” said chapter Care Services Director Dora Couret, L.P.N. “Since receiving his diagnosis, he has been a ‘get up and do’ person in helping the Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter by attending our State Advocacy Day each year. He has also testified before State Senate committees and has helped us to attain state funding to help people with ALS who work with our chapter.”
Even though ALS has physically affected Jourdan and has caused his speech to slur, he refuses to let it slow his stride. “I try to live day to day and enjoy every day. I have difficulties in doing some things, but so do all people with ALS. All I want, as well as others with the disease, is to just be normal. I will NEVER give up,” said Jourdan.
Jourdan collaborates monthly with the chapter’s care services support group in Covington and frequently interacts with the group’s members outside of these meetings. “Dudley enjoys meeting other patients and making friends with them,” said Christine Jourdan. She notes other people with ALS can contact her husband at any time to discuss how they are coping with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. “Dudley finds that talking with others with ALS helps him deal with this horrible disease as well.”
According to Couret, both Jourdan and Christine plan to attend the National ALS Advocacy Day and Public Policy Conference with Couret, chapter Executive Director, Kelly Viator, and Care Service Director Brandi Nickles in the nation’s capital May 13-15.
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