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Bruce Courtney’s journey with ALS started with a sense of weakness in his right hand.
At first, the Valley Center resident was diagnosed in 2016 with benign monomelic amyotrophy, a rare disease that causes muscle weakness in the upper extremities, according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. But the loss of strength spread to his feet about two years later, and with the new symptoms, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
In the years since, the U.S. Navy veteran, 60, and his wife, Lori, tried to make the most of their time together. They knew ALS was a possibility from the beginning, so they traveled around the world to Alaska, Punta Cana, Italy, France, Spain, New Orleans, Lake Tahoe, Israel, Riviera Maya and Cancun.
SAN DIEGO
If you want a lesson in the power of monuments to influence hearts and minds and whitewash the past, look no further than the statue of former California Gov. Pete Wilson.
It stands forlorn and mostly forgotten in downtown San Diego, next to a Panera Bread. The life-sized bronze replica captures Wilson in all his Midwestern milquetoast glory. The boyish smile. The helmet of hair. The hands in the pockets of pleated pants.
This oversized trophy is now spotted with oxidation, and nowhere near as shiny as it was during its 2007 unveiling, when 500 fans and 300 protestors faced off.