NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | May 1 , 2015 | PAGE 5 ‘Fighting Machinist’ Sam Beekman is in the battle of his life against ALS By Michael Gutwig Editor & Manager Sam Beekman has run in five marathons, competed in the Hood to Coast Relay numer- ous times, carded a hole-in- one, bagged elk, and caught hundreds of fish. Today, the 31-year member of the ‘Fighting Machinists’ Willamette Lodge 63 needs a walker to get around his These are some of the medals Sam Fairview home, and a wheel- Beekman received running mara- chair whenever he ventures thons and working at Boeing. outside. He cannot hold onto a pen to write. Beekman, 63, has amy- otrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS. There is no known cause of the disease, which slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe, yet the mind remains fully functional. It’s not contagious, and can strike anyone at any time. It occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries. ALS is usually fatal within took advantage of his good two to five years of diagnosis. union pension and retired. Throughout his career, Beek- There is no known cure. man was active in the union. He “This certainly wasn’t in the also was active outside of work. plan,” said Beekman. He took up jogging in 1971, the Beekman put in 31 years ma- day he quit smoking. That mor- chining airplane parts for Boe- phed into marathons and long ing Company in Gresham. He distance relays. He put together retired in August 2008 at age 58. a union team—The Running He says he would have worked longer, but lung cancer cut his Machinists—for the popular career short. After doctors re- Hood to Coast Relay, a grueling moved a portion of his upper 193-mile trek from Timberline lung, Beekman returned to Lodge on Mt. Hood to Seaside work. But he quickly realized on the Oregon Coast. The Labor that he had lost his edge, so he Press featured The Running Ma- chinists in a story in 1996. • One-on-one consultations with on- staff care services coordinators to assess the needs of those living with ALS, sug- gest equipment and help families plan for the future. • A Medical Equipment Loan Program that provides mobility equipment when insurance and other programs cannot fund needed items. • A comprehensive Alternative Com- munication and Assistive Technology Program. • Caregiver support groups, Care Con- nections guidance, in-home caregiving support and respite care grants to relieve stress and “caregiver burnout.” He and wife Pam have been married for 31 years. They have two adult children and five grandchildren. Beekman’s first symptoms of ALS surfaced in October 2009 while on an elk hunting trip in Colorado. He stumbled several times on the walking trail, then had difficulty mount- ing a horse. “I thought it was odd,” he re- calls. Later, his son noticed irregu- larities in his father’s speech and coordination. A trip to the doctor was followed by months of tests. “They knew there was a neu- rological issue going on,” Beek- man said. “But my symptoms filled a lot of possibilities.” Eventually, the diagnosis was confirmed as ALS. Beekman is now among an estimated 450 to 500 ALS pa- tients in Oregon—30,000 na- tionwide, said Lance Christian, executive director of the ALS Association’s Oregon and Southwest Washington Chapter. The ALS Association assists those with the disorder (see box below), as Medical treatment and care can be staggering— easily exceeding $60,000 a year. “It’s not a cheap disease to have,” Beekman said. True to his union spirit, Beek- man continues to fight for a cause. He’s helping to raise money for the Oregon and SW Wash- ington chapter of the ALS Asso- ciation—and to draw public Where does all the money raised go? The ALS Association chapter serves the entire state of Oregon and the six counties in Southwest Washington. Here is a sampling of local services pro- vided free of charge to people and families living with ALS • Monthly support groups for people with ALS, family members, and friends. • Support and resources for children who have ALS in their families.  Sam Beekman at home with his dog Lucy. awareness to the disease. Beekman will participate in a three-mile SW Washington Walk to Defeat ALS scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, Wash. [A Portland Walk to Defeat ALS is slated for Sunday, Sept. 27, starting at the World Trade Center downtown.] He’s also putting together an ALS team for the Hood to Coast Relay in September. The “Run- ning Machines” will traverse the route on scooters, wheelchairs, and bikes. “You just can’t sit around and say ‘woe is me,’ ” he said. Beekman is seeking sponsor- • Bereavement support for family members and friends who have lost someone to ALS. • Partnerships in ALS multidisciplinary clinics staffed by professionals with ALS expertise. • Outreach to the local medical com- munity with updates on current ALS needs and solutions.   • Support for local and national public policy efforts, as well as internationally- driven research focused on finding a treatment and ultimately, a cure for ALS.  ships from union locals, union members, vendors, and others. He’s off to a good start, with a $1,063 commitment from Ma- chinists Lodge 63. He hopes, too, that more peo- ple will participate in one of the walks. Beekman acknowledges that ALS has taken a lot from him in a short period. But at the same time, he says he feels “fortu- nate” and “grateful” for the things he can still do. For in- stance, last summer he went to Dodger Stadium to watch a Ma- jor League Baseball game. That was followed by stops at Dis- neyland, SeaWorld, and Univer- sal Studios. This year, Hawaii is on the agenda. Pointing to one of his favorite movies of all time—The Pride of the Yankees—the story of Lou Gehrig, Beekman says Gehrig’s farewell speech at Yankee Sta- dium has stuck with him over the years. “I have really embraced his re- marks,” he said. Gehrig’s quote: “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for.” To make a donation on be- half of Sam Beekman’s Walk to Defeat ALS, go to: webor.alsa.org/goto/Sam_Beek man