Sheltons thankful for public support

Bobbette Shelton, the wife of Luton Shelton, says the former national striker has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he received since sharing news, last October, of his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis.

ALS, or Lou Gherig's disease as it is more commonly known, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Shelton, now 33 years old, was known in his playing days as a lean and speedy striker, but the illness has caused him a significant loss of muscle mass and also his speech.

ALS is understood to be progressively degenerative, meaning his condition is expected to worsen, but Bobbette said she has not yet noticed any physical changes since the family's last interview with STAR Sports. Luton must make trips to see his doctors every three months, and his last visit was in November. Bobbette is cautiously optimistic as she prepares for her next trip with her husband to meet doctors in Florida. By then, she expects to have a clearer understanding of his condition.

"When he goes overseas, he sees a string of doctors," she said. "You have the speech therapist, the physical therapist, the neurologist, it's a line of them. When he goes, it's basically the whole day. They do their assessments and afterwards, they come together and compare with the last assessment to see if there are any improvements and so forth. We have an appointment overseas next month end, so after that, we can be able to better know exactly what's happening with him, but for now, there's not much change that I can actually see."

FUNDRAISERS

Luton's story touched the hearts of many, in Jamaica and around the world, even those who were not necessarily close followers of his career. This led to various fundraising projects to assist with his doctors' visits. One of these was a special match in his honour, by Harbour View FC, his last club, where profits went to a special bank account. Minster of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, donated $500,000 to his cause and Sports Minister Olivia Grange offered $5 million.

"He's very grateful for their assistance," Bobbette said. "What they have offered has been of great help to him so it's good. Everywhere he goes at this point, somebody always recognises him, sending up their prayers and giving their support. It has been good for him to know that everybody is trying to rally round and is wishing him well. So it's a good feeling for him."

Mrs Shelton says that dedicating most of her time to caring for her husband is difficult but she is keeping a brave face in adversity.

"I'm here, doing what I'm supposed to do," she said. "It's hard sometimes but I have to keep pushing on. I'm here managing. I'm also getting help, so that's good. It's good to know that I'm recognised for the good that I'm doing. At least I know that I am doing something good and everybody else can be able to take from that too to know that even though there are loved ones who are sick, and cannot be able to do things for themselves, that they have to still stick around and do what is necessary for them."

Shelton is the national senior men's football team's most prolific goalscorer, netting a record 35 goals and winning the Caribbean Cup three times. He started his career at Harbour View before moving to Sweden to represent Helsingborgs IF. He then transferred to Sheffield United and played in the English Premier League. From there, he went to Valerenga in Norway then had a loan stint at AaB in Denmark, before moving to Karabukspor in Turkey. Shelton also played in Russia at the now defunct Volga Nizhny Novgorod, before returning home to don the yellow and blue of Harbour View once more.

"It has been good for him to know that everybody is trying to rally round and is wishing him well. So it's a good feeling for him."