Having A Purpose / Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.

The term “having a purpose” will be one of the key episodes featured in our series about women and aging.

Dr. Eva Feldman, Ph.D., Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology Director, Program for Neurology Research & Discovery at the University of Michigan Health System is an ideal example of a woman who has found her purpose.

Dr. Feldman is listed in Best Doctors of America; she has authored more than 275 articles and 59 book chapters covering a spectrum of issues in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with neurological diseases. With these credentials and intelligence, we found Dr. Feldman on a quest to find a cure through stem cell implant procedures of the deadly disease ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s Disease, after Lou Gehrig, a hall-of-fame baseball player for the New York Yankees who was diagnosed with ALS in the 1930’s.

On this particular filming with Dr. Feldman, we were able to sit in on a very personal and medical review with Lucy Stucky, a dynamite 71-year old from Battle Creek, and her son Kirk. Just recently diagnosed with ALS, Lucy declares that a positive attitude with her cup half filled will be her mantra for this fight.

A lifetime all-around competitive athlete, tennis player, and swimmer who loves yoga and gardening, Lucy, with tears in her eyes reached out to Dr. Feldman and asked, “How do I legally gift my body to your research when I die?” As I sat there filming this, all I could think about was what an incredible, unselfish and courageous woman Lucy is.

This widowed mother of four, and grandmother to several grandchildren who is in this daily fight had the vision and respect for the work that Dr. Feldman is doing to offer her body up in hopes that it may help further along the work that Dr. Feldman and the entire team at the A. Alfred Taubman Health Care Center is doing to find a cure for ALS.

When we finished filming with Lucy, Dr. Feldman stepped out into the hall and said, “This is why I do what I do.”

We are thankful to have Dr. Feldman in our film, helping us to understand the significance of what it means to ‘Have A Purpose.’

To read about Dr. Eva Feldman’s work or learn how you can support her efforts, go to http://www.pnrdfeldman.org/