Charlie Wedemeyer cannot speak, but he communicates through his wife Lucy, who takes care of him and keeps him smiling and laughing.
Coming through
loud and clear
With help from his wife Lucy,
Charlie Wedemeyer relays his
inspirational story to the world
"My claim to fame is I gave him the ball every time he made a great play. It was Charlie, mostly, with the rest of us helping him a little. This is a bold thing to say, but I think he's one of the best high school athletes in the 20th century in Hawaii. When I see Charlie, it's sad, but when I see him I think I can never feel sorry for myself. The challenges are absolutely incredible. What we're learning through Charlie is that real strength is spiritual. And I would be remiss if I did not say his wife is a saint."Every once in a while, the Wedemeyers of Los Gatos, Calif., get a phone call from actor Michael Nouri. Knowing that Lucy and Charlie like jokes, Nouri usually pretends he is somebody else famous. Eventually, Lucy or Charlie figure out it's him. Then the actor gets serious.
--Fred Hemmings, Punahou center, 1964
Maybe he didn't get a part, or a director is hassling him.
He needs a pep talk, and Nouri, who played Charlie Wedemeyer in a movie, called the perfect friends for one.
Because of a nerve disorder called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or "Lou Gehrig's Disease," Wedemeyer needs 24-hour medical attention. He can't verbalize and he can barely move. He can't even breathe on his own. But he can smile, and with Lucy's help, he can talk and laugh and joke. Even over the phone.
"Charlie wanted Robin Williams to play him," said Lucy, who was portrayed by Pam Dawber in the film, "Silent Victory, the Charlie Wedemeyer Story."
Get it? Mork and Mindy?
For those too young, "Mork and Mindy" was a TV comedy in the 1970s, and Dawber played Mindy.
Even if you do remember "Mork and Mindy," you might not be old enough to have seen Charlie play football at Punahou School. Those who did say he was incredible.
"He had great vision and unbelievable balance. Coordination with both hands. You'd hit the guy and his bottom would give way, but he'd balance with his hands. He wasn't big, maybe 5-7 and 170 pounds. He was very quick, not fast. He was the best athlete I've ever seen play high school sports in Hawaii. When coaches told him to do something, he was always able to do it the first time. He's one of the toughest guys I've ever met."It was during the 1970s when Charlie Wedemeyer was given a year to live.
--Pal Eldredge, Wedemeyer's Punahou teammate
He is 59 now, and he looks better than a lot of 59-year-old people who can walk and speak and breathe on their own. He still coaches football and makes inspirational speeches, with Lucy doing the verbalizing.
One of the couple's favorite jokes is that God sent a man who can't speak on a speaking tour.
While Charlie Wedemeyer is a medical marvel, he is not alone. Although ALS patients cannot live normal lives, Wedemeyer is proof they can live productive ones. But a decision must be made early after diagnosis.
ALS patients who decide to undergo a tracheotomy and use an artificial breathing apparatus, can live much longer.
"Those who do can live for a long time if they get good care," Dr. Kevin Kimata, a Honolulu neurologist, said. "Upwards of 20 years is not unusual. But most choose not to go on the ventilator. All patients who do so have some reason to live."
Wedemeyer's biggest reason is his family, including his son, Kale. Kale Wedemeyer is now a surgeon.
Would he have chosen the healing arts if not for his father's condition?
"I don't think so," Lucy said. "I think it's directly related."
Said Charlie: "When he was 6, he had a stethoscope and he said he wanted to be a doctor, but you never really know."
Lucy: "When his dad was diagnosed, we thought (Kale's) dream would be impossible financially, but somehow it worked out. He was always the calm one. When Dad was choking, he'd take care of it. He'd crack us up with his Andy Bumatai renditions. He always had a great attitude and sense of humor. And his determination and tenacity."
Charlie Wedemeyer, 59, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis during the 1970s and was told that he had only a year to live.
"Charlie was something else. We'd go to football, and he's the quarterback, the big star. Then it was basketball season. On the first day, we can't even hit the rim, and he's making jumpers. At the first day of baseball, no one can throw, but he can, and he's hitting line drives all over the place."On the mainland sometimes, Charlie Wedemeyer is mistaken for his equally famous older brother, Herman Wedemeyer, who was a co-star on "Hawaii 5-0" and died in 1999. "Squirmin' Herman" was a great football player at Saint Louis School who went on to become an All-American at Saint Mary's.
--Norm Chow, Punahou teammate
Charlie had a lot of pressure to perform as well as Herman had. He did, leading Punahou to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship in 1964 and moving on to Michigan State.
Tonight, Wedemeyer and three other Hawaii high school sports legends -- Larry Ginoza, Eddie Hamada and Wally Yonamine -- are being honored by the Hawaii High School Athletic Association for their achievements and impact on others.
"(High school) sports in Hawaii in the 1960s was the biggest thing in the islands," Wedemeyer said. "There are so many great athletes from Hawaii that are more deserving than I am.
"There was nothing like playing in the old (Honolulu) stadium," he said.
Fred Hemmings remembers the 1964 championship game, when Punahou beat Kamehameha 20-6.
"There were more than 25,000 people there," he said. "What's nice about life is the memories no one can steal away. My most pleasant childhood memories are of high school football. I can still see Charlie running downfield doing his magic. He seemed to dodge everyone."
"And he was a very pleasant guy with a sly sense of humor. He's shown amazing strength over the years. He's a tremendous example of what faith can do for a person. The devotion and support of his wife is unbelievable, and his for her."Charlie and Lucy were back at Punahou yesterday enjoying a lunch of Hawaiian food (Charlie can't chew or swallow, but he can taste). Charlie's 40th reunion is next week.
--Ralph Martinson, Punahou football coach, 1964
Punahou is where they met, where the handsome football star and the beautiful cheerleader fell in love.
Their eyes still sparkle when they talk to and about each other.
"Even in high school he was a humble guy who didn't take things too seriously," said Lucy.
Said Charlie, "This is incredibly special for me because this is where we first met, where we started our journey together."
It's one they still enjoy, despite the obvious obstacles.
"We didn't know it'd be so much fun to get old," she said.
Dr. Kimata said ALS patients are more vulnerable to other illnesses as they age. Charlie and Lucy say they don't worry about that, because there is already enough to deal with every day, hour and minute.
There is a rubber band that holds Charlie's respirator in place. If it slips out of place and no one notices, Charlie can't breathe.
"I don't look good in blue," he said.
They laugh, because sometimes that's all you can do. Like the time they had to use a hacksaw to get Charlie out of the van because of a dead battery.
And it wasn't very funny when Charlie got the cold shoulder from some corners at Los Gatos High School because of all the attention his situation brought. It was a beautiful story when he coached the team to a championship but the honeymoon didn't last.
Most hard feelings seem to have dissipated, and Charlie has returned to coaching at the school, working with the frosh-soph team.
"I'm still on the football field with the kids," he said. "I hope someday when they're faced with some challenge they'll think of me and not give up."
Nearing the end of an hourlong interview yesterday, Charlie began to perspire. But he and Lucy answered every question from three reporters with candor, grace and wit -- and wisdom.
"I think it is important to remember that we will all be confronted with some adversity or challenge in our lives that may seem insurmountable and when it does happen we have to remember that God has given us freedom of choice. We can choose to feel sorry for ourselves and be bitter or angry and cause everyone around us to be miserable, or we can choose with God's help to become a better and stronger person.
"Pain and suffering is inevitable. However, misery is optional and we get to make that choice."
Some might say Charlie made a choice for misery when he decided to undergo the tracheotomy and extend his life.
They would be wrong, because of a simple fact Charlie and Lucy have embraced.
"It's not about us," they said.
"Our goal and inspiration is to make a difference in at least one person's life," Charlie and Lucy said. "If we can help one person it would be worth it."
It's clear they've met their goal. Thousands of times over.
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