Column: Dantlzer faces odds with inspiring courage

Published 8:03 pm Saturday, June 30, 2007

Danny Dantzler was among a couple of hundred people at the trade center on Wednesday listening to Vince Dooley talk football and life and the qualities of leadership.

Dooley captivated the audience with interesting, often humorous stories from a 40-year career as a football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia.

At the conclusion of Dooley’s speech, I walked toward Dantzler, who was talking with former Dalton High coach Bill Chappell.

I shook Dantzler’s hand.

 He responded with a question.

“You knew I have Lou Gehrig’s disease, didn’t you?” he said.

It was like a punch to the gut.

This couldn’t be.

Dantzler played football at Dalton High School and played football for Dooley at Georgia. He has been one of Dalton’s top amateur golfers for years. He’s a businessman, husband and father.

When Steve Sparks backed away from serving as athletic director and football coach at Christian Heritage School, Danztler stepped up and directed the Lions’ first football team.

It is always a treat to be around Dantzler, or talk to him on the telephone because his approach to life is always positive and his sense of humor as sharp as a No. 2 pencil.

The brief conversation we had Wednesday was not a time for humor, though. Dantzler was emotional as he talked about his certainly clouded future.

“Pray for me,” he asked in a raspy voice.

Lou Gehrig’s disease, medically known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is nothing to laugh at. It’s a progressive wasting away of certain nerve cells of the brain and spinal column called motor neurons.

The WebMD Web site puts it this way: ALS is a progressive, disabling, usually fatal disease. Walking, speaking, eating, swallowing, breathing, and other basic functions become more difficult with time. These problems can lead to injury, illness, and other complications.

It is estimated that one or two people per 100,000 develop ALS each year in the United States and most other parts of the world.

The cause of ALS is unknown. The eventual outcome is clear — it is an incurable disease.

In 1925, Gehrig stepped in as a starting first baseman for the New York Yankees and played every game — 2,130 straight — over the next 13 years, earning him the nickname “The Iron Horse.”

That streak ended on May 2, 1939. Gehrig, who was originally diagnosed with a gall bladder problem, later discovered he had ALS. On July 4 he was honored at Yankee Stadium and gave his famous “I’m the luckiest man of the face of the earth” speech before 62,000 fans. In December, Gehrig was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

On June 2, 1941 , ALS claimed Gehrig’s life.

He was 17 days shy of his 38th birthday.

Dantzler is 55 years old.

“Ironically, that’s the average age of people diagnosed with ALS,” Dantzler said during a telephone conversation Friday night. “I’ve been reading a lot about ALS and I tell you, it’s not a bad thing for people to pray for me.”

Dantzler says he’s been “greatly blessed” by a multitude of friends, but quickly adds that he wants everyone to pray for a miracle. Secondly, if he has ALS, he wants to become the longest-living guy ever with the disease. If the first two prayers aren’t answered, then he wants God to give him peace and strength for whatever lies ahead.

Notice the phrase, “if he has ALS.”

Dantzler spent most of Friday at the University of Alabama-Birmingham hospital getting a second opinion, and received what possibly could be good news.

“The doctor down there, Dr. Lu, said it’s either ALS or OPCA (olivopontocerebellar atrophy),” Danztler said. “OPCA is still a neuron degenerative disease, but it’s not as bad as ALS. OPCA mimics ALS, but I was told I have too much muscle mass right now to be definitely diagnosed with ALS. Nobody right now wants to give me a death sentence, but I know I have problems.”

Back to the WebMD web site:

ALS may be difficult to diagnose, and the diagnosis my not become clear until symptoms have progressed or until additional testing and observation have taken place. Tests needed to confirm the diagnosis include electromyogram and nerve conduction studies.

Initially, Dantzler said he was told his early symptoms — his voice became hoarse — pointed toward acid reflux. He was given medications, changed his diet and started sleeping on a wedge to elevate his upper body. He still uses the wedge.

But his condition did not improve.

This past spring Dantzler underwent more tests that included nerve examinations.

Dantzler said he was literally covered up with probes and then electric currents shocked his body, measuring how long it took the impulse to affect his nerves. The tests included sticking needles in various spots on his body to determine muscles reaction, or twitches.

The worst was when probes were placed on either side of his face in the jaw areas. He was told to stick out his tongue and the doctor stuck a needle into the tongue.

“It was awful. I wouldn’t wish that on Saddam Hussein,” Dantzler said, conjuring up his quick, trademark wit emphasized by a hearty laugh.

After his visit to the UAB hospital, Dantzler was told to “go home and just live.” He’s doing just that. Unless atrophy rears its ugly head he won’t return for further exams for six months.

There is no recourse if Dantzler’s diagnosis is ALS. With OPCA there’s hope — and treatment.

“If it’s OPCA, I might lose my voice but not necessarily my life,” Dantzler said. “I can learn sign language or communicate in other ways. I’m still working but communicating can be frustrating. My brain is running wide open but I can’t always form words in my throat.”

Either way, Dantzler courageously faces a serious medical situation.

However, he remains positive.

And that, he says, is a key element in battling whatever ails him.

“You can’t let yourself worry about the what ifs and what might bes,” he said. “You live each day the best you can. I want to be a living testimony for Jesus, and that’s all I’ve ever wished for in my life.”

In that regard, Danny Dantzler is home free.