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Donation youth suffers neurological disorder Pool company helping Stafford County teen WANT TO HELP? 18-year-old Ervin Wible has been battling paraneoplastic neurological disorder for the last two years Date published: 10/8/2007
BY LAUREN BOSTON Ervin Wible can laugh about almost anything. Even a debilitating, life-threatening disease. The 18-year-old Stafford County resident was diagnosed two years ago with paraneoplastic neurological disorder, a disease that attacked his nerves and left him unable to walk. Still, the Germanna Community College student finds humor in an otherwise devastating condition. "Just because I'm crippled doesn't mean I can't put a foot in your side," Wible joked with his girlfriend of six months, Erin Arthur. It's moments like these that help the Wible family, including mom Ginger and dad Ervin Wible III, get through the more trying times. Wible has been sick off and on over the past year, culminating in a seizure in January--his worst emergency to date. "He stopped breathing, and Ginger found him in the bedroom," said Ervin's father. "When she got there he was totally blue. Through it all, that's been the hardest to see because we realized he can die. You live life differently for your kid now because you're never guaranteed a tomorrow." Despite an often grim prognosis, Wible has been feeling much better in the past six months thanks to a new medication and is up to 200 pounds after dropping to 114 in 2006. He is also hoping to regain his strength with the addition of a new home therapy pool. The search for the pool began six months ago when Wible told his dad he would be more comfortable trying to stand up in water without the risk of falling and breaking bones. Wible's father wrote to several companies to compare prices. He sent his son's story to SwimEx, a rehabilitation pool company, but heard nothing. Then just two weeks ago, the vice president of SwimEx called the Wibles and offered to donate a pool. Originally part of a rehabilitation center, the pool will be installed in the front of the Wibles' home, next to Ervin Wible's bedroom. "People are flying in from the company, and others are donating their time," Wible's father said. "I was just shocked because the home model is $80,000, and I can't imagine what the commercial model costs."
Date published: 10/8/2007
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