“I simultaneously prepared to face a horrible death as I kept a vision of hope and healing at the same time,” Oster, an MSU alumnus, said of his projected life expectancy. “I had researched the mind-body medicine literature enough to know that many people have healed from terminal illnesses. Practically speaking, I believe it is very important to face and acknowledge what actual losses are happening in the body and to do everything necessary to constructively cope with this.”

ALS is a progressive disease that causes an increasing amount of nerve-cell damage in the body with a loss of muscle and muscle control, Oster said.

Eventually, everyone living with ALS will experience paralysis and many die from an inability to breathe or other complications.

Prior to being diagnosed with ALS, Oster led a very active lifestyle — from running a marathon to hiking in the Colorado mountains for 12 days while carrying 80 pounds on his back.

Born into a “blue-collar, working-class family,” Oster said he defined his sense of self based upon what he could physically achieve.

“There is a tendency for many people in our society, especially men, to define much of their sense of self based upon what they physically achieve in life,” Oster said. “This tendency was amplified for me. When I saw how much my accomplishments meant to my family, I was even more driven to achieve.”

A year before Oster was diagnosed, symptoms of the disease began to appear in his daily life.

“At first, the changes were almost imperceptible. Over time, people would make comments that my speech seemed slightly slurred, (and) I began to lose my balance at times,” Oster said. “So, my initial thoughts were, ‘What is going (on) in my body?’ and ‘How serious is it?’”

Through a healthy diet, meditation, exercise and herbal supplementation, Oster said he has been able to regain physical strength and muscle mass.

“The most important thing is to cultivate a sense of love, acceptance and kindness toward one’s self in approaching healing,” he said. “What is most important is finding a way within to live with an open heart with whatever circumstances we may each face.”