In Memory of Francis.

“Life changes in the instant, the ordinary instant.” So writes American author, Joan Didion, in her acclaimed memoir, “The Year of Magical Thinking”, following the sudden death of her beloved husband. For us, the ordinary instant was in 2021, when our beloved father and husband, Frank, was officially diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or “ALS”. He battled the disease with courage, perspective, grace, and at times, humor, before ultimately passing away on August 28, 2023—about three years from when he noticed his first symptom.

ALS is a terminal, progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and in the spinal cord. In a healthy body, we are all composed of motor neurons which reach from the brain to the spinal cord, and from the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body.

These motor neurons allow us to have voluntary movements and control our muscles—including the muscles that help us chew, swallow, and breathe, which most of us do without thinking each and every day. ALS causes these motor neurons to degenerate over time, until they eventually die.

When motor neurons die, the brain loses its ability to control muscle movement. Most ALS patients eventually become completely paralyzed and lose the ability to speak, chew and swallow their food, and ultimately, breathe.

Despite being identified in 1869, ALS has no cure. And, despite the fact that every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS or someone passes away from it, ALS is still considered a “rare disease”, and research and treatment efforts have historically been chronically underfunded.

We watched Frank maintain his humanity and unbreakable spirit despite being robbed of so much by ALS. Despite ALS taking so much from him, and from us, we will not define him by his illness. Our beloved Frank was—and is—so much more than this disease.

He was, of course, a doting father, father-in-law, and husband.

An uncle, a brother, a brother-in-law, a son, a son-in-law, a cousin, a nephew, a colleague, a friend. He was a martini-drinking, golf-playing, Grateful Dead-loving, poetry-writing, motorcycling, thoracic and vascular surgeon. He spoke Spanish and Russian, loved organic chemistry, nature, and the small wonders of the universe. He collected rocks and seashells, swam in the ocean, travelled the world, sailed the high seas, and loved to cook. He was universally beloved for his kindness, humor, intelligence, and his uniqueness. There was nobody quite like Frank, and it was the gift of a lifetime to have lived life alongside him.

Frank was able to receive experimental treatment at the world-class ALS facility at Massachusetts General Hospital. He received care from a brilliant team of doctors, nurses and medical professionals, and had access to cutting-edge treatments that we believe helped prolong his life.

We founded the Francis X. Carroll Family Foundation with a simple goal: to help the doctors at MGH find a cure for ALS. With a named fund in Frank’s honor, we’re able to directly contribute to ALS research and care, each day getting closer to a world where ALS is no longer a death sentence—sparing millions of people and their loved ones the pain and heartbreak of this terminal diagnosis.

As our inaugural event, we are excited to present the first annual Frank Carroll Memorial Golf Tournament, hosted at Mahopac Golf Club, where Frank spent many years on the green. The Golf Tournament raises funds for the Foundation,and in turn, the crucial work being done by the Healey Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital.

We hope that you will consider sponsoring or otherwise contributing to the Golf Tournament and supporting the Foundation’s efforts to make ALS history.

With gratitude,

Lyda, Anita, Ryan, and Ethan