He has no voice, but still speaks

By Anastasia Harbuck
aharbuck@eufaulatribune.com

Jimmy McGilvary hastily scrawls a message on the white marker board he uses to communicate with others.

His message reads: “Two-and-a-half years ago, I was as normal as you …”

The Eufaula native suffers from a condition known as progressive bulbar palsy, a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease” for the famous Yankees baseball player who also suffered from the disease.

According to Jimmy’s wife, Sherrie, the disease, “Starts in the bulbar portion of the brain … The nerves that tell the muscles to work stop functioning.”

Bulbar palsy affects its victims differently. Some, Sherrie explains, will lose control of their limbs like the arms and legs. For Jimmy, the disease has robbed him of the use of his tongue, the roof of his mouth, his left arm and his voice.

“I noticed, in February 2007, a slur in my voice,” Jimmy writes.

Sherrie says what they thought were the symptoms of stroke worsened until Jimmy lost his voice.

ALS is somewhat of a mystery, Sherrie explains. It isn’t particular to age, race or gender, though a high percentage of victims are former military members.

“Everyone is different,” Jimmy continues. “Every 15 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes, someone dies of it.”

But there’s more to Jimmy’s story than a victim of bulbar palsy. He worked as an X-ray technician at Medical Center Barbour for 42 years. He’s the proud father of a son and a daughter (Sherrie also has a son and a daughter), a brother to his twin Jerry (Sherrie also has a twin, a sister), the grandfather of nine grandchildren and a native to Eufaula.

He’s also an affectionate husband to Sherrie who he’s been married to for nine years. Since Jimmy can no longer eat solid foods, he’s become a big fan of McDonald’s chocolate milk shakes, Sherrie teases.

“He goes to get one everyday. And if he doesn’t go, I get one for him,” she says. “The people at McDonald’s know him pretty well.”

Jimmy and Sherrie face their obstacle with faith, hope and a sense of humor. Jimmy has a machine attached to a keyboard that “speaks” the words he types.

“But I can’t type very well!” the computer replies.

Sherrie smiles as she types a reply. “You need to go to Sparks and take a class!” the machine chirps.

Jimmy and Sherrie also rely heavily on their church family at Sardis Freewill Baptist Church. The Eufaula community has also been extremely supportive to the family.

On July 11, a concert will be held at Lake City Baptist to benefit the McGilvary family and defray medical expenses for Jimmy.

The concert will be held at 6 p.m.

Groups performing include:

n The Gilmore Trio (with Joyce and James)

n Marcia Hudson

n The Gospel Messengers

n The Morrises

n Dot Whitener and Lily

n Carolyn Wiggins

n Richard Pennington

A love offering will be collected during the event.