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He means a lot to a lot of people Longtime coach Glenn Gardner fighting tough battle with ALS – SouthCoastToday.com

Posted: February 15, 2020 at 9:43 pm

Glenn Gardner knew something was wrong last spring.

Routine things had become difficult for the longtime Fairhaven junior varsity softball coach.

Normally, Id hit the ball into the outfield with no problem, he said. But I would crank it and it would barely go into the outfield. I knew something was up. I didnt know what it was. I thought it was old age. I thought I was becoming an old man.

Rapid weight loss 26 pounds of muscle and severe muscle spasms prompted Gardner to go to the doctors to get checked out.

I did the blood tests and all that, and they said everything was fine, said the 64-year-old Fairhaven resident. Still, I knew something was wrong.

So Gardner went back for more testing and his second electromyography (EMG) this time at Mass General and in mid January, he got the dreaded diagnosis: he had ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).

Also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, it causes the death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles. While a person keeps their cognitive functions, their body deteriorates to the point they can no longer move. There is no cure and medication is expensive and often experimental.

Its tough because coaching now I cant project my voice, said Gardner just minutes after coaching the JV teams final game of the season, a 30-26 win over Bourne on Friday. I have the kids and my assistant yelling for me. I cant do what I used to do easily. I cant breath. Your diaphragm is a muscle so I'm going to lose my voice. Right now I cant breath. I have to sleep on my side. Whenever I eat, I feel full because your lungs push up to your stomach.

Still, Gardner continues to coach.

Hell push himself through it, said Old Rochester senior Jill Higgins. You can tell it's harder for him. When he needs to be out here coaching us or rebounding balls for us, hell push himself. That's the kind of person he is.

With each day Gardner has grown weaker and weaker, but he wanted to finish out the year at Old Rochester.

There was no talking him out of it, said Old Rochester head coach Bob Hohne. He wanted to finish it.

I wouldnt have expected anything different from him," ORR athletic director Bill Tilden added. "It wasnt even a thought that crossed through his mind to not finish. Hes always been a guy that finishes something that he starts. I dont think he thought of ever taking a break from this to deal with it and I dont think theres much you can do. You just have to face it and deal with it and thats what hed want the kids to see him do too.

Gardner chose to keep his diagnosis under wraps until just recently, when his symptoms began to worsen.

We have so much respect for him, said Old Rochester senior Mary Butler, who works on her post moves with Gardner, a varsity assistant. I think one of the reasons he didnt tell anyone at first is because he didnt want to be thought of differently because hes so strong and I dont think he ever wanted us to think otherwise. Hes so respected by all of us and he means so much to all of us.

I think about how much hes been through and how much he has still contributed. He hasnt stopped contributing to our program. It shows how strong and tough of a person he is.

Higgins knows firsthand the impact ALS can have on someone as her grandmother, Elizabeth Ferria, battled the disease.

I was younger, but I understand how it goes, she said of watching her grandmother. Its not easy. Its hard for the person because their mind will stay sane throughout all of it, but sometimes you cant move and you cant talk. You know what you want to say, but it wont come out. Its terrible.

We just wanted to show him that we support him and his wife throughout everything.

When news broke of Gardners condition, the girls basketball program quickly began fundraising efforts. At both home games this week, they held a bake sale and also sold bracelets they created that said: #gardnerstrong and BOX OUT ALS.

We wanted to make sure that he felt he was loved by us and that we were here for him, said Higgins, who played two years under Gardner on JV. Hes a really good coach and a really good guy in general. Its really sad that he got this disease.

Gardner has also received an outpouring of support from his hometown of Fairhaven, where he was a former teacher at Hastings Middle School. A comedy night fundraiser, which features Frank O'Donnell as the headliner, is slated for March 13 at the Century House in Acushnet. Tickets to the fundraiser cost $50 and include food. The show will start at 6:30 p.m., and comedians will go on stage at 8:45 p.m.

When youve been around a long time, you make a lot of connections, said Gardner, who coached three sports at Fairhaven High over two decades. I get to see kids from both schools and theyve all been great.

He means a lot to a lot of people," Tilden noted.

Gardner was Fairhavens varsity field hockey coach for more than a decade, while also coaching the girls varsity basketball team for seven or eight years. He was the varsity softball coach before Cathy Silva took over the program and he moved down to the junior varsity level. He also has maintained the grounds for various Fairhaven sports for several years.

"Glenn has been with me for 17 years and has been a staple in my program," Silva said. "He is an incredible guy who has given so much of himself to the sport and to all the athletes who have come through the program. He has impacted me as both a coach and a friend."

Gardner has had a big influence on Old Rochester basketball for the past seven or eight years as the JV coach and varsity assistant.

Glenn is simply the last in a long line of great assistant coaches Ive had over the 43 years, Hohne said. The game films, the scouting, his knowledge of fundamentals when the kids come to me, they know the game of basketball.

Gardners impact goes beyond the fundamentals of basketball.

Hes kind of the bridge between coach and the kids, said Kate Butler, Marys mother. He leads the JV team, but he also works with the varsity girls. Hes the one that pulls them aside and can coach them up during the game and help them work on things in practice that coach doesnt have time because hes doing the big picture stuff.

Hes just an amazing person. Hes got a way with the kids. Hes calm and hes patient and hes caring and passionate about the game. He means a lot to the program.

Gardner has been able to relate to the players through his sense of humor.

"He's always joking around," Butler said.

When I swung (between levels) freshmen year, he always kept my mind off of it, Higgins said. He would make me laugh when I was nervous.

Gardners personality and approach has made him a favorite among many players.

He sets standards for you and he has goals he wants you to meet, but you always have fun doing it, Mary Butler said. He always makes it enjoyable.

Gardner found a creative way to motivate Meg Hughes in a matchup against 2018-19 Standard-Times Player of the Year Jayda Fortin.

I held Jayda Fortin to under six points so he bought me Riccardis pizza, Hughes recalled with a smile on her face. It was the greatest thing.

Hughes is hoping to make this a memorable curtain call for Gardner.

He wants to finish it out, she said. He wants to go to the Garden with us because thats where were going. Were doing this for him.

Follow Laurie Los Lee on Twitter @LaurieLosSCT.

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He means a lot to a lot of people Longtime coach Glenn Gardner fighting tough battle with ALS - SouthCoastToday.com


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