‘She’s still my mom’
Two years ago, Holly Gross was diagnosed with ALS, a disease she calls ‘a monster with no mercy.’ As her husband struggles with Parkinson’s, it’s her sons who mostly take care of her. She can’t use her voice, but she talks to them. She can’t move, but she keeps them on track. All they want now is more time with her. By Amy Halpern |
July 6, 2021
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From left to right: Jake, Jim, Holly and Nicholas Gross outside of their Kensington home. Photo by Lisa Helfert
Early one Saturday morning this past spring, Holly Gross wanted to make sure her son Nicholas, then a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, was up and getting dressed. His varsity rowing team had a regatta at 10 a.m. So she sent him a text from her bedroom down the hall: “Nicholas, wake up. It’s time for crew.”