Today, he inspires others through his will to live. In 1978, while he was the head football coach at Los Gatos High School, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Pam Dawber portrayed Lucy Wedemeyer. . After another speech at a youth camp, teens lined up for hours to share their stories. Cercena, of Columbus, Ohio, became ill with respiratory symptoms and body aches. Wedemeyer, upon earning his Masters degree at Central Michigan University, settled into a teaching and coaching career at Los Gatos, but he was diagnosed at age 32 with ALS in 1978 shortly after he was named the head coach at Los Gatos High. He has trouble writing the "t" in heart, an early indication of his illness. For the first time, he believed he could coach again. The legendary football coach died Thursday. Or, we can choose to go through the situation knowing we will become better and stronger for it. He breathed through a tracheotomy hooked up to a respirator. WebWhile on the run from dangerous enemies, an assassin (Jennifer Lopez) comes out of hiding to protect the daughter she gave up years before. Maybe 5 percent live 20 years. Charlie, though, has a bunch of athletic accomplishments to be numbered among the 50 fabulous athletes since statehood. He's not finished. Judy Peterson is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group's Silicon Valley Community Newspapers. Carri runs the Web site for the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach program, which raises money for ALS research, while Kale is a doctor in private practice. The family of four lives in Chicago at present. More remarkably, her character doesn't age despite the constant pressure and tension Lucy must have felt from Charlie's continuing reliance upon her over 10 years. We can choose to feel sorry for ourselves, be bitter and angry and cause everybody else and us to be miserable. This still didnt prevent Charlie from impishly suggesting that he was going to attend Los Gatos home games wearing a Nike headband on which someone had printed the following words: EXCUSE ME FOR LIVING. In November, she began requiring intravenous fluids for additional nutrients for 12 hours each day, a process called total parenteral nutrition (TPN). He continued to be a coach at the high school and be part of it all for 30 years.. As the new nurses continue their lesson, one seems to pick up the words with ease and stands back proudly. The PBS documentary, One More Season, and the CBS-TV movie, Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story, chronicled their lives. This past New Year's Eve, she developed sepsis related to a central line in her chest and went into septic shock; she coded in the emergency room, was placed on a ventilator and spent time recovering in the ICU. The second was the 1990 Public Broadcast System Emmy Award-winning documentary, One More Season, on his ninth final season in 1985. His story is different, thanks to an unshakable Christian faith and a fighter for a wife. "That's been my biggest goal. He was a pretty sharp offensive guy.. And to witness Charlie's pride when Kale was honored to play in the Hula Bowl 25 years after he did was unbelievable, Lucy added. Except for Charlie.. His legacy has lived on for how he carried himself and for the love he had for his players and other coaches. Year after year, Charlie kept living, in remarkable ways. The Wedemeyers are in a constant battle with their medical provider to cover services. Carri isn't the only less-than-saintly character in the film. The incurable disease attacks the nervous system and destroys the ability of people to control their muscles. Of the 5,600 Americans diagnosed with ALS each year, 50 percent die within five years. Despite permanent back, shoulder and neck injuries caused by years of straining to lift her husband, she works up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week. The whole baseball team went to Hawaii in 1981, Springbett said. Doctors always wanted Charlie to behave like a normal ALS patient and die gently after the good fight. Already weakened by an inability to eat and weighing less than 100 pounds Wedemeyer stopped breathing three times, twice in a 48-hour span. He was different from your regular coaches, Springbett said. But during her hands-on clinical training at a hospital pediatrics department, she tested positive for COVID-19. The euphoria was short-lived. She said the doctor first resisted, contending that Charlie would be susceptible to infection, but then performed the tracheotomy. 2010new Date().getFullYear()>&document.write("-"+new Date().getFullYear());, Company. "Having experienced so much and being on that side of the bed, it's going to be an amazing journey and I'm excited to help along that way.". Services have been tentatively scheduled for June 19 in Los Gatos. For a guy who had always been an exceptional athlete, the loss of such simple motor skills was both confusing and disturbing. Pam Dawber, who is married to a former football player (Mark Harmon), plays Wedemeyer's supportive wife. Starting from the bottom of a ramp, and with his wheelchair pushed with a running start, an exuberant Wedemeyer flew through the entrance as the aroma rushed into his nostrils. The Los Gatos frosh-soph squad had a successful run during that period, dominating the competition in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Wedemeyer was a successful coach at Los Gatos High School, even after being diagnosed at 30 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Whether you win or lose, we will act like gentlemen.". He finally had to give up coaching, but continued to go on speaking engagements at schools, churches, service groups, hospitals and even prisons, the first at O'ahu Community Correctional Center during a visit in 1989. Realizing the weight of the moment, Lucy measured her response carefully. High school career: Three-time Interscholastic League of Honolulu football all-star (1962, '63, '64). You must remember, pain and suffering is inevitable. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii says aloha to Charlie Wedemeyer. Though only 5-foot-7, 164 pounds, Wedemeyer played wide receiver and blocking back at Michigan State and took part in the Spartans' memorable 10-10 tie with Notre Dame in 1966, the first game local fans saw televised live from the Mainland. I know how important my high school coaches were to my development and maturity in my upbringing. 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As he moves from the strong athlete to a man whose degenerative disease causes slurred speech and a loss of motor skills, Nouri gives this role a quiet dignity. Wedemeyer was the last of nine children born to Bill and Ruth Wedemeyer. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. ALS is a terminal illness in which one is given, at most, three years to live. I called him in the late 80s to tell him wed be interested in naming the all-star football game after him. As Wedemeyer lay in intensive care late one night, linebacker Michael Scialabba jiggled the lock and sneaked in, talking with his coach through Lucy into the wee hours. Hazards and dangers are everywhere, and he must be looked after every second, day and night. American teacher and football coach (19462010), San Jose Mercury News, Dennis Knight, Elliott Almond and Mark Emmons. Charlie Wedemeyer was one of those teachers and coaches who inspired kids to be better because of the work he did with them.. Really? "At the time it was devastating," she says, "because I was so excited, that's what I had really hoped for and where I wanted to be placed. Charlie never had to pay, said Lucy of their favorite restaurant stop. Only while broken did he discover the man he could be and the purpose that it would serve. But somewhere along the way, they decided that Charlie was going to persevere and the family would help him do so. Charlie graduated from Michigan State in 1969 and obtained a master's degree from Central Mic If it were a game of touch football, he still would have scored. He makes an annual appearance at the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Classic in San Jose, and he continues to help coach the Los Gatos frosh-soph team. You have permission to edit this article. After the diagnosis, the Los Gatos principal told Wedemeyer he could stay as head coach as long as he wished until 1986, when the principal changed his mind and gave the job to one of Charlies assistants. Wedemeyers body deteriorated. When that time comes, we must have to make a choice. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? "She's a saint for pushing that thing," says Cercena. There was a time when Lucy was unsure if Charlie could handle not being a head coach, fearing he would lose the drive to live. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosismore commonly known as Lou Gehrigs diseaseand it was estimated that he had only two or three years to live. We wouldnt have done what we were able to do without him. Wedemeyer was a legendary high school athlete at Punahou School in Honolulu until he joined Michigan State coach Duffy Daughertys Hawaiian Pipeline. They should just play the game, Charlie told me. The unique method worked, with the cooperation of his assistant coaches. There, Charlies eyes beckoned to Lucy. "I would basically just eat and throw up," she says. All these people who look perfect and yet are broken inside.. 1964: Excelled in football, basketball and baseball at Punahou School; named years later as Hawaiis Prep Athlete of the 1960s by a Honolulu newspaper. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? When he lost his voice to the insidious disease with no cure, Lucy, his high school sweetheart at Punahou School in Honolulu, read his lips to relay play calls. Not because he had the disease, but because he continued to coach after he had the disease. He could barely keep down even a spoonful of soup, and was losing weight fast. They did. He continued to coach, though he couldnt walk and could barely talk. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? In 1984, during an especially difficult time, a tearful Wedemeyer told his wife, Lucy, You and the children would be better off if I died.. "With no nutrition.". He watches the Food Network every day and memorizes recipes. The movie ends shortly after Los Gatos dramatically clinched the California State championship with Charlie as coach. It was as if someone was standing right next to him, saying, Just trust in me and everything will be OK.. ", "My goal has always been to be able to go back and finish and help others in the way that the staff at Riverside [an OhioHealth hospital in Columbus] and Cleveland Clinic have helped me," she says. WebT WAS a wonderful life for Charlie Wedemeyer. ", At the end of May, Cercena will be undergoing an operation to fully remove her colon, with doctors attaching her small intestines to her rectum. Though Wedemeyer went on to play at Michigan State, where he was a standout end and earned selections to the 1969 East-West Shrine and Hula Bowl all-star games, he always pictured himself running his own hotel in Hawaii. Its a heavy burden, Griffin said. "And hopefully," Cercena says, "that will solve my issues. We will always face challenges or circumstances that may seem insurmountable and too tough to deal with, he said. His specialties: Hawaiian teriyaki chicken, Korean barbecue, short ribs, turkey chili, meat loaf and chicken stir fry. They waste away, then go away. You can take care of somebody for a week, but when its 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year . They did. "Who is going to teach the boys about life and not giving up?" Is the vulgar anti-Tesla sign on my neighbors truck illegal? It was an absolute miracle, Lucy said. Visit my website homepage, TomShanahan.Report. One of the most versatile athletes locally, Wedemeyer earned nine varsity letters in a brilliant high school career. This was tipping point don't believe Bear Bryant/USC revisionist history. I was the one who said, Probably two or three years. Thats what the medical books said at the time. Everybody else and us to be numbered among the 50 fabulous athletes since statehood nine varsity letters in 48-hour! 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