KEMPNER, Texas — Larry Davis, the former Army Ranger we introduced to you in 2019, is slowly losing his battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS.
"I thought I was a strong and tough guy. I thought I could handle anything in front of me, boy was I wrong," he said as the clouds hung over head the Fowler Ranch in Kempner.
Davis said ALS is something that has kicked him over and over again. He hasn't given in but knows time is not on his side.
"They gave me 14 months to live with this disease and I am still here today more than two years later, I'm still kicking," Davis said.
May is ALS Awareness Month. It is a nervous system disease that weakens the muscles and impacts a person's functions. It is often known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
The average life expectancy after diagnosis is two-to-five years, but some patients may live for years or even decades.
While it brings with it hope for a cure, Davis said he knows, too, the chances are slim for him.
"We just don't have a chance with ALS. There's nothing for us, maybe a chance to slow it down a little bit, but there's absolutely nothing for us. There's no hope," he said, adding he feels forgotten at times.
Davis blames the rarity of the disease as to why no cure has been found but said he does wish for all of us to come together for those, like him, who face homelessness.
"There's all kinds of organizations out there that you can donate to that has a cause for ALS, it may not cure it, but it actually helps us," Davis said.
While Davis wants nothing more than another day with his family, his friends and those he's grown to love through the years, he is trying to stay strong in the months ahead when his condition will worsen.
"I have no regrets, no regrets because I was able to do so much in my time," he said. "I was able to live to 51 years old today and so I have no regrets and when I look in the future, hopefully I make it to 52, maybe I make it to 55 or even 60."
Davis said he will continue to live like there's no tomorrow because that's the only way to live. He said he'll do it while giving back to others like how they have selflessly given to him through the years.
"I guess what's left on my bucket is to love one another like they love me and to go out with a bang. That's all I want to do," he said.