As we head to the holidays, here’s my year-end gift to you: I’m gonna sell you a book.  

But first let me tell you about my friend Hira Ahluwalia. He is the most interesting person I know. He is of East Indian blood, but he was born in Malawi in Africa. He was raised and educated in the north of England. He is married to his Irish Rose, Maggie. And together they crossed the pond and built a life and family here in the United States.  

With such a world background, Hira was uniquely qualified to manage a soccer – er, football – team. For many years he led our old-man-rec-league squad and built a great group by choosing positive personalities over raw talent. It also helped that he is way over 6 feet tall and yelled like a banshee. Together we won a few championships, we celebrated with a few beers, and had fun along the way.  

Some time ago, my friend started having issues with his leg. He suffered some falls. He had to stop traveling on business. He spent several years trying to identify the cause, and was subjected to an alphabet soup of tests, from MRI to EMG to NCV and more. Which eventually led to a terrifying set of letters: Hira was diagnosed with ALS.  

I won’t tell what happened next. I would like you to read Hira’s story for yourself. But I will tell you that his condition is such that he had to write it using eye-gaze technology.  

Let me repeat that. My hero wrote his memoir WITH HIS EYEBALLS.  

That sort of effort commands respect. I have signed on as a board member of Hira’s latest team, “Keep on Ticking,” which is named for the title of his book, and which advocates for folks suffering from ALS. And here’s my offer: I have started a GoFundMe campaign, and if you make a donation of any kind I’ll send you a copy of his book, or email it to you as a flippable PDF, if you prefer, just let me know. It’s a tale that is horrifying, heartbreaking and often hilarious. You may also find it inspiring.  

https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-on-ticking

I appreciate any support you can give to help get Hira’s new team off to a great start.

I wish you all health and happiness in ’22. And if you hit some bumps along the way, please count your blessings and remember Hira’s heroic example.  

Happy Holidays everyone. Keep on Ticking.