David Masters was on a temporary duty assignment at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait in 2004 when he noticed the first symptoms of ALS: "I was weight training, working out in the gym, and my right arm did not want to cooperate, did not want to keep up. I was 28, just turning 29 years old, and I thought it was a pinched nerve, but it kept getting weaker and weaker."
Family Photo
Masters was training for a future career as a bodybuilder when he lost strength in his right arm. "When I got back to the States, the Air Force doctors did everything they could to find out what was wrong with my arm, with no luck. I was frustrated, my bodybuilding career that I was trying to get off the ground was over, and I just gave up."
Family Photo
Masters and his wife, Jodi, met while they were in the Air Force together. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. "Do I wish I'd never served? No, not at all," says Masters. "The Air Force did so much for me as a person; I don't regret it at all."
Family Photo
In February 2006, Masters is promoted from an E5 to E6, before his diagnosis of ALS. "I don't really care how I got it," he says. "I don't want people to waste time and energy on who to point their finger at -- I want them to (use) ALL of their time and energy on how to stop it."
Family Photo
Masters, 40, poses in February 2015 with daughter Sabrina, 7, and son Radley, 9. "I'm lucky," he says. "Even though I'm wheelchair-bound and my arms don't work and my legs are almost to the point where they don't work, relative to ALS, I'm in great shape. For me, It's been very slow, more of a creepy crawly thing. I'm very thankful."
Family Photo
Masters sits with Sabrina and Radley in June 2015. "The ALS Association told us you have to stay in front of this disease. Don't wait until it's an emergency," he says. "We've done some voice banking. I'm using feet on my laptop and when they quit working I'll need the eye gaze machine or NeuroSwitch. Denial is going to get you in trouble. You have to be proactive and have the next stage of tools ready when you need them."
Family Photo
Masters' 19-year-old son Cody graduated from high school in May 2015. "Be mindful of your health," says Masters to other veterans. "If you think something might be wrong, don't hesitate to get it looked at. With motor neuron disease, you don't have much time to mess around. Men don't do that very well, and I was one of them. But don't be like me, don't wait."
