When George Smith was diagnosed with ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2017, he vowed that his disease would not define the end of his life. For 18 years, George was executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, but he’s probably best known as a prolific writer — mostly about the Maine outdoors, but also about politics and about traveling with his wife Linda. Since his diagnosis, some of the things he loves most are harder to do, but he has a lot to be grateful for, especially his family and friends.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting George at his home in Mt. Vernon, Maine. His office is filled with memorabilia from artworks created by his late father Ezra Smith to a portrait of him by the late artist Jack Havey to awards and accolades and photographs of George fishing, hunting, or just enjoying the outdoors. When we sat down to record our podcast, we talked about his past, present, and future. For the second half of the episode, I interviewed Mauret Brinser, Executive Director of the ALS Association, Northern New England chapter.
In this podcast episode, George and I talk about
- his goal to reach as many people as possible to share his experiences with ALS
- how he has already heard from hundreds of people and how much it has helped him and his wife
- his symptoms and how he was diagnosed
- how he wants to continue writing as much as he can but how he’s had to cut back on some things
- the challenges he faces
- the importance of family and friends
- how he’s had to get his affairs in order
- end-of-life decisions
- how he wants to be remembered
- where to find his writings
In my interview with Mauret Brinser, Executive Director, ALS Association, Northern New England Chapter, we discuss:
- what the ALS Association does
- the Ice Bucket Challenge
- genetic research
- symptoms and diagnosis
- treatment, including a new medication called Radicava
- expenses and insurance challenges
- other resources
Listen to the episode now
Where else you can listen to or download the podcast
- Apple Podcasts
- Stitcher
- Google Play
- Spotify
- iHeartRadio
- RadioPublic
- Check your favorite listening app. (Search for Catching Health with Diane Atwood)
George’s website
George’s website, which is called George Smith Maine, contains a variety of writing, including George’s Outdoor News, Travelin’ Mainer(s), and Best of Maine. As he mentioned in the interview, he’s been writing book reviews, which he enjoys a lot. He also writes a monthly ALS update.
Can you tell us what the letters ALS stand for?
I wonder what the letters ALS stand for.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. I say it at the beginning of the podcast, but I should have included it in the written introduction — which I will do. Thanks for asking John.
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