Army veteran, former Colorado Springs ER nurse battling ALS

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Veteran Lisa McKee, former army, and civilian special forces nurse, was working in a level one trauma center at Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs when she was diagnosed with ALS in 2021. After being told she may only have years left to live, McKee decided to focus on helping other veterans with the disease.

When McKee took a job at Fort Carson as a civilian nurse for the 10th Special Forces Group, she says she never imagined she'd be in the same position one day as the men and women in uniform she treated with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

“They call me sporadic limb onset slow progressive that is my official diagnosis," she said.

It took doctors 31 months to officially give McKee her diagnosis. McKee said she broke her wrist during an assault and doctors believe that triggered her ALS diagnosis.

However, she says many veterans go much longer without knowing they're dealing with ALS.

According to data from the National Library of Medicine, men and women in the Armed Forces face a higher chance of dying from ALS than civilians. Still, health officials aren't sure what the direct correlation is.

While the Department of Veteran Affairs recognizes ALS as a disease to qualify for full disability, McKee says more action needs to be taken for research purposes.

McKee told KRDO she's working with legislation on S.1813. That would expand clinical access to drug trials for ALS. She said she was denied for a study because her diagnosis did not meet the two-year time frame.

“This disease has been around for 150 years and there is really only two medications we can take but it still does not cure us,” McKee said.

It was only just last year when $20 million in funding was approved for the Department of Defense ALS Research Program (ALSRP) to help accelerate research.

For her, McKee believes there isn't that big of a difference between dying on a battlefield and dying from ALS.