He is 40 years old and a father of five, and sick with the incurable disease ALS, which slowly breaks down the body.
– I can no longer carry my children, then I fall, says Torsten Gabrielsson in Karlstad.
Torsten Gabrielsson loved being out in nature, going for runs and doing things in the garden. And he loved playing with his hard rock band. That’s how he first discovered something was wrong.
It was in January 2021. The left hand didn’t quite keep up. He thought he needed to go home and practice his guitar more. But it didn’t help.
Last fall, in September 2023, he was diagnosed with ALS. But it is only now that it has really sunk in for him what he has really suffered.
– In August, when schools and work started again, I found out that I am sick. And I am much sicker now than six months ago. That realization has landed now. Now I’m incredibly sad, and scared.
“So sad I can’t take it”
What feels most troublesome is the situation with the children. Torsten Gabrielsson is the father of four of his own and a bonus child, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 17 years old. With the help of a permobile, he can accompany the children on a walk.
And he can read homework with them when he has the energy. But some things are downright dangerous, he says:
– I can’t carry the children, then I fall. It is so sad not being able to participate in the same way and not being able to participate.
The youngest children see that father is weak and know that he is ill, but they do not know what will happen.
Hoping for a miracle
ALS slowly breaks down the body. Now he can’t walk more than 50 meters, has difficulty swallowing, his speech is worse and his muscles gradually become paralyzed.
Today there is no treatment that helps. And Torsten Gabrielsson is not allowed to participate in testing new preparations in the ongoing studies. His symptoms have been going on too long. But somewhere there is still a little hope for a miracle.
– Of course I hope so, he says tearfully. I wish I could avoid this shit.
Facts ALS
ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is the name given to a group of neurodegenerative diseases in which nerve cells in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord die. This in turn leads to muscle wasting and paralysis.
Most people who get ALS become ill between the ages of 45 and 75. Today, you cannot recover from ALS, but there are drugs that slow down the course of the disease somewhat and that can relieve some symptoms. About 400 people get ALS in Sweden every year.
Source: ALS association and Karolinska Institutet