ALSA-EC_AnnualNewsletter_2019-2020 PAGES

Bill and Georgene Marshman with Marla Sharpe who is holding
a heart that Bill gives when he wants to say thank you.
Bill Marshman’s Hearts
After losing his voice, Bill Marshman of Olympia is quick
to jot down “thank you” on his writing tablet to show his
gratitude to his wife, caregivers, and therapists. He is even
quicker to give out little red hearts to let people know how
much they mean to him.
Bill, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, has doled out
more than 6,500 of the red hearts because he “can’t say
thank you enough.” The ALS community owes a big red
heart to Bill, who was instrumental in working with Dr.
Edward Tay to establish the Kaiser Permanente ALS Clinics
in Seattle and Tacoma.
Bill is also a poet who penned the following ode to the disease:
ALS/Lou Gehrig’s
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Hard to say before diagnosis
Lou Gehrig’s is easy
Just a bit teasey
But both mean the same
Heavy bad — either name
BILL MARSHMAN, AUGUST 2, 2018
ALSA-EC.ORG • ALS Association Evergreen Chapter | 13