In His Own Words
ALS Association National Laureate Delivers Poignant Messages
It was not easy for The ALS Association’s National Laureate, Noah benShea, to maintain his composure when he recorded six new inspirational audio messages for The Association’s web site.
First he thought about his father, and then the emotional vulnerability of all people living with ALS, their families and friends and then the universal topics dealing with life and death that impact all of us.
“As someone who witnessed my own father’s struggle with ALS and the consequence to my mother, myself and my family, it became clear that some of the most profound pain on the journey came from the sense of isolation,” benShea said. “My hope was that when people heard these messages they would feel someone reaching out and speaking out and speaking to them and they were a little less alone.”
“I was thinking about my dad and what he went through, and I wanted to be the voice he lost and the message of strength and love he always lived with – and died with,” said benShea who became The ALS Association’s national laureate in 2005.
Noah benShea’s audio messages “In His Own Words,” which has debuted at www.alsa.org/benshea in June, are filled with personal anecdotes and metaphors. The messages are accompanied by music and range in length from 2-l/2 to 4 minutes. Each month a new message in the series will be added to the web site.
In reaching out and embracing the ALS community, he talks about such themes as hope, faith, love, character, peace, and change. The goal of the project, he said, was to be “a source of strength to others.”
In the message “Hope,” benShea tells the story of a dying woman who instructs her pastor to bury her with a fork in her right hand because after dinner someone would always say “keep your fork.” That meant something wonderful was coming. Later, benShea talks about a little girl walking to school in a thunderstorm. When lightning flashed, she looked to the heavens and smiled because she believed God was taking her picture.
“The issues of hope, faith, peace, love, character and change are central in all our lives no matter what we are going through, and the thoughts I recorded are intended to be a source of strength to all of us whether we’re dealing with ALS or simply trying to find the courage to get through the day,” benShea said.
“Each of us is ground zero,” he continued. “We cannot be other loving until we are self loving. We cannot offer hope for others until we are prepared to live with hope in our own lives.”
Greg Cash, co-producer of “In His Own Words” and The Association’s Director of Communications, accompanied benShea to the studio.
“You can hear in the tone of his voice his understanding and emotional ties to the people who are going through the process of living with the disease, the patients and the family,” Cash said. “Noah was emotionally involved. It was not like he was reading the news. He did not try for a perfect delivery. It was as though he was speaking to a friend with inspirational messages.”
The concept for the project arose after benShea gave an address at The Association’s 2005 Leadership Development Conference in St. Louis.
“The keynote address seemed to speak to people and touch lives, so the folks at The Association asked if I would be willing to share some of my thoughts on subjects of relevance in a way that would allow people to listen,” stated benShea.
“We wanted there to be a way for people to hear the emotion in his voice as well as being able to read what he was saying,” Cash said.
BenShea looks forward to recording more messages in the future. “They will focus on additional topics no less relevant in our lives no matter our struggle.”
The Association’s national laureate, also a philosopher, scholar, executive adviser, lecturer, and international best-selling author was described by CNN’s Larry King as “the compass because he has – with wisdom, compassion and humor – helped so many of us to find our way.” He is the author of 18 books translated into 15 languages including the famed “Jacob the Baker” series.
Be sure to check the web site each month, www.alsa.org/benshea, to listen to the next inspiration message from Noah benShea and learn more about his involvement with The ALS Association. His insightful perspective on life is presented on Noah’s Window at www.noahbenshea.com.
