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I'm Chuck Hummer.
I was diagnosed with ALS about eight years ago.
Only recently, I lost speech completely.
When one looses speech, people very often...
think you are mentally retarded, or deaf too.
I now use Proloquo2Go for communication.
I'll be slow, but at least I can communicate.
[Netherlands]
I am a retired senior executive...
from the Federal Government.
[I traveled a lot as part of my job.]
[India... Thailand... Bangladesh...]
[Singapore... The Netherlands]
Though things have changed...
my wife Sandra and me, superman...
we enjoy our time together.
We both spend a lot of hours...
in front of our computers...
emailing, visiting web sites.
Although retired...
I still do some work for the community.
Did you like the cappuccino you had this morning?
Do you want a single or a double?
We have always, always...
been very vocal with each other.
We talk about everything.
We chatter, chatter all day long...
and I really miss that.
When you're diagnosed with ALS...
you know all these things that are going to...
happen to you, you just don't know when.
And, we've always tried to do...
things before we needed them.
So, when my husband started loosing...
his speech a couple of years ago...
that's when he got the Proloquo program...
and started using it then...
while he could still speak a little bit.
As you loose more and more...
things that you're able to do...
you just feel like you're worthless.
Even if he gets angry at me or something...
he will type it out and play it and...
I take constructive criticism...
I'm very good about that.
We couldn't live without it.
It's like our van, the wheelchair accessible van.
We couldn't live without it, you know...
there's just certain things with this disease...
you just have to have to have and...
a communication device I would think...
in my opinion is one of the most important.
And he's very happy with the way it works.
[I use the amplifier on the iPad too, but for shopping...]
[the iPod touch is very convenient.]
[I will sleep in here with you.]
[Will we need a nurse tomorrow?]
Proloquo2Go is really handy when the grandchildren...
are here, because they 're older now and...
they understand how things are with their papa.
They use it a lot for talking about their activities...
hockey and school and what have you.
And he can even carry on a conversation...
with Proloquo2Go at that point...
so, that's when it's really nice...
you know it's really nice...
it makes him feel really part of the family.
It's really great, it gives you that...
it gives him that sense of some control...
some freedom over his life...
which at the stage of his illness...
is very, very important.
Are you ignoring me?
[My wife and I still find humor important.]
[I can type anything you wish.]
Very funny!
[I don't like instant coffee.]