As he struggles with ALS, Ballwin man gets a lot of help
May 8, 2010 - Conor Treese, 11, at left, helps volunteers David Marsden, top right, and Andrew Manott, bottom right, as they mulched outside his Ballwin home, part of a effort to help his father Mike Treese, who has ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. A large group from Holy Infant Catholic Church, including the parish's Boy Scout Troop 627, descended on Kate and Mike Treese's home to help with landscaping, building shelving inside a shed, furniture repair and car maintenance. (Photos by Robert Cohen/P-D)
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/12/2010
BALLWIN — A framed painting in the dining room of Mike and Kate Treese's home sums up all that they and their three children hold dear. Its message: "Faith. Family. Friends."
For nearly a decade, Mike Treese coached soccer at Holy Infant School in Ballwin, motivating kindergartners through eighth-graders to play their best. He also was the leader of Boy Scout Troop 627 at Holy Infant and president of its school board. Even at work, he was serving others: he was business manager for Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church in Creve Coeur.
But after the school year ended in 2008, most of that phase of his life came to an end.
Treese's left hand just didn't feel right and he couldn't cross his fingers. After a first diagnosis of a pinched nerve, he found out in July 2008 he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative muscular disease.
Although the life expectancy of an ALS patient averages about two to five years from the time of diagnosis, many people live with quality for five years and more, according to the ALS Association.
"The ALS diagnosis was very surprising," said Treese, 52, who had been an active man, running five miles a day.
Kate Treese said her husband has refused to succumb to despair. "He cherishes all the simple, yet most special things in life," she said.
May is ALS Awareness Month and the St. Louis ALS chapter has named Treese, Kate Treese, and their three children, Michelle, 19, Chris, 16, and Conor, 11, as the family that best exemplifies the spirit of "ALS Across America" in the region — "by expanding awareness of ALS and embodying the spirit of living life to the fullest."
For the Treeses, the best part has been seeing the love pour in. Last Saturday, for instance, Boy Scouts put down mulch and did other yard chores while friends from Holy Infant installed shelves in the back shed.
On May 28, students and friends from the parish will hold a benefit concert for the Treeses with student bands at Kennedy Catholic High School.
Tyler Harman, 16, who plays in a band and was coached by Treese for eight years, came up with the idea and is the organizer.
The family calls their home "The house built with Love" — literally. In February 2009, fellow parishioners, sporting caps that said "Mike's Pals," did an "extreme makeover" to the family's ranch house and made it wheelchair accessible.
More than 100 families have volunteered to help in various ways, an effort coordinated by close family friend Ann Banker. She said the Treeses helped others but expected nothing in return.
"They're humble, selfless people," Banker said. "Mike never thought that he would get sick. Now people want to help him."
Treese says that the support isn't because of anything he did, but rather "the people we know."
"It's a tribute to these people who have stepped up in an extreme way to offer their love and support to me," he said. He said he was very impressed with Tyler and his teen-age friends.
"There's this bad thing, and there's that bad thing but there's a lot of good in the world," Treese said. "It's good to proclaim that there is a lot of good."
Michael Treese offers some advice to people facing serious diseases:
— "Don't feel like you're all alone out there," he said. Organizations and people can help.
— "Don't curl up in a ball in the corner," he said. "The only way this works is through relationships you have. They let you move forward. When I was diagnosed, we let people know."
Kate Treese added another lesson: learn how to accept help.
ALS is mostly known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," after the famous New York Yankee afflicted with it. His words spoken to fans at Yankee Stadium are still famous: "You have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
Those who know Michael Treese can hear him saying the same.
