ALS and Marriage: How Faith Holds a Couple Together

How do faith and marriage hold up when ALS changes everything? Pastor Deb Winters, who is living with ALS, and her husband and caregiver Howard share an honest, hopeful conversation about love, grace, and walking through the valley together. In this episode of Walking Through the Valley, part of the ALS.Community Spiritual Health Series, Deb and Howard talk openly about how an ALS diagnosis reshaped their marriage, tested their faith, and revealed new depths of love and commitment. Moderator Kristie Hardin, a former tenured English professor and ALS advocate, guides the conversation. In this webinar, you'll hear: • What it was like to receive an ALS diagnosis after a 14-month search for answers, and why the first reaction was fear, not "why me?" • How faith and daily prayer sustain them • Why giving up independence, including the car keys, was so hard, and how grace made it possible • How Howard describes his role as an "exoskeleton," and how roles shift between spouse, partner, and caregiver • How they choose grace and forgiveness on hard days, with plenty of humor along the way • Where they find support beyond each other, including friends who pray with them • Advice for couples facing ALS together: talk to each other, avoid condemnation, and take it step by step • What "walking through the valley" means to each of them, and the Scripture that closes the conversation Their story doesn't minimize the hardship. It offers an honest portrait of two people choosing to walk through it side by side, sustained by grace, humor, hope, and devotion. This webinar is shared from a Christian perspective, and everyone is welcome: people living with ALS, caregivers, couples, families, and anyone navigating profound change together. Please note: this webinar shares personal experience and faith. It is not medical, legal, or financial advice. Talk with your care team about your own situation. Part of our Spiritual Health Series. ALS.Community is a free, one-stop platform for everyone impacted by ALS. We bring together patients, caregivers, family, clinicians, and researchers to share, learn, and connect. Join our community today: www.als.community Follow Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/als.community/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/als.community #ALS #ALSCaregiver #FaithAndALS