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Fords Resident Chronicles Fight Against Disease in Verse

April 27, 2004

The 3rd annual Woodbridge Walk to D'Feet ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) takes place Sunday, May 2, 11:15 a.m. in Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park at Sewaren Peninsula.

During the last few years, walking or running to raise funds on behalf of disease research and treatment has become commonplace across the United States. Hardly a spring or summer weekend in any given locality goes by without one or more charity marathons gathering to inspire public support for their cause.

The Woodbridge Walk to D'Feet ALS is inspired by more than good intentions. It is inspired by poetry.

When Ira Anderson, a 58-year-old former financial consultant from Fords, was diagnosed with ALS in 2001, he responded by using his remaining months of public activity to aid the everyday lives of his neighbors. Anderson took a position with Woodbridge Township as Resident Advocate for Consumer Affairs, where he handled complaints, resolved disputes and initiated countless community service efforts such as helping obtain computers for the blind in Woodbridge Township libraries.

He also began to chronicle his battle against ALS in verse.

A pernicious disease with a particularly menacing name, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, destroying all muscular function and eventually rendering a person unable to move, speak, eat, breathe - even as the mind continues to operate with lucidity. There is no treatment and no cure for ALS, and writing poetry is not high on the daily agenda of most ALS sufferers.

Yet as Ira Anderson sank deeper into the illness' intractable grip, the task of documenting his thoughts and feelings in a form accessible to others became a mission

Communicated via email, his writing spans a gamut of emotions - incredulity (The Silent Scream), anger (An Observation), humor (That Damn Itch), hope (Time) and solace in memory (The Night) - and finally, the insight expressed in A Warrior's Tale:

It's when we are challenged that we get the opportunity
To reach deep inside ourselves and see who we really are.
My voice has been silenced,
But my words, determination and passion will survive well beyond me.
It is a fortunate person who can create a legacy.
I am a fortunate man.

His co-workers at Woodbridge Township believe they are the fortunate ones for having experienced his warmth, wit and friendship.

"Ira Anderson is a dedicated individual who exemplifies the true spirit of service," says Mayor Frank G. Pelzman. "He has lived his life helping people in so many ways, and even in this time of great personal challenge, he continues to inspire and provide leadership."

Ira Anderson's legacy is made mightier by the fact that he himself can no longer speak or walk.

It is a legacy that each of us has the ability to share and carry forward this Sunday in Sewaren, one step at a time, on behalf of Ira Anderson and the 30,000 other Americans fighting ALS.

To participate as a walker or sponsor for the May 2 Woodbridge Walk to D'Feet ALS, email Abby Anderson at walkersofhope@aol.com or call Donna Jago at the Mayor's Office, 732-602-6039.

*** UPCOMING: May is ALS Awareness Month; representatives from the local Muscular Dystrophy Association/ALS office will appear at Woodbridge Township Council chambers just before 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, to receive a proclamation from Mayor Frank G. Pelzman. Ira Anderson's wife Marcia, daughter Abby and son Ivan will also be on hand.