Monday, November 10, 2008 10:23 PM CST
ALS patient writes to inspire others
With time on his hands, Coughlin completes novel
By BOB FALLSTROM, Staff Writer
ST. ELMO — In June, Barry Coughlin observed the seventh anniversary of being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He is 90 percent paralyzed, using a wheelchair full time, and his speech is slurred.
Undaunted, the persistent 44-year-old St. Elmo man completed the monumental achievement of writing a historical novel.
“It took me 13 months. I never had a doubt I would finish it,” he said. “I completed it in late July.”
The title is “Living the Dream.” Paperback copies are available at lulu.com and amazon.com or by contacting Coughlin at barrycoughlin@ frontiernet.net. The price is $12.99. You can preview it at www.lulu.com/content/2911603.
Coughlin was a surveyor when he was stricken. The fictional book’s main character is William Bassett, a surveyor in the small Midwestern town of St. Elsewhere who is surveying along a highway when he is struck by a car. Seriously injured, he lapses into a coma in which he dreams he is a U.S. deputy surveyor in the new Illinois capital of Kaskaskia.
He has been given the task of finding a more centralized location for the state capital. He must form a survey party, gather supplies and embark on a journey through uncivilized territory.
“I never thought I would be a writer,” Coughlin said. “I can type, I have a lot of time on my hands, and I’m taking advantage of it.”
In May, the Muscular Dystrophy Association did a story on Coughlin as part of a series called “Anyone’s Life Story.”
“I hope the book will inspire people who think they are not capable of accomplishing some task,” he said.
He has previously written articles that have appeared in the St. Elmo Devonian, MDA Muscle Dispatch newsletter and the Lincoln County, Mo., Journal. He also was profiled on WAND-TV.
Coughlin has written a philosophical message he calls “Off the Beaten Path.”
Before his diagnosis with ALS, he writes, “I was a permanent fixture on the beaten path. But on that day in June, I was knocked off my path by the force of a semi truck. The once-smooth path was now a pothole-filled mud farm road,
“What I’ve learned since then is that the speed at which you travel the path is not important unless you know where you are going. The path has many exits, both right and left, accompanied by tempting billboards trying to lead you astray. Many people lose their way and spend years searching for a way back to the path. I write this to send out a beacon, aiding the lost to find themselves and get back on track.”
Later, he writes: “Stay on the beaten path and re-evaluate where you are going often. Take the road less traveled once in a while, and stop to enjoy the special moments, because no one knows when the path will come to an end. Be prepared for it, but don’t waste time worrying about it. Choose your path wisely, and choose to enjoy the ride.”
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