A Take on a Life Worth Knowing - Seth Poling

 I’m often told that I am inspirational. A living ray of hope in a world full of hate and misery. I am honored to be thought of with such high regard. It’s flattering, but I’m afraid this idyllic portrayal is unjustified. I might appear to be full of hope and positivity. Unfortunately, if you peer behind my mask, you won’t find armor. Instead, you will find a hurt, scared little boy. Before you jump to your keyboard to leave a comment of encouragement, let me explain. I am merely a man, I worry about my future and my family's well-being. I have so much animosity towards everything. I tend to act irrationally and lash out at those closest to me. It’s uncalled for, but my blood boils in the heat of the moment. The only way that I can explain what goes through my mind is an overload of thoughts. I don’t want to act in such a manner, but trying to type with my eyes can be frustrating even in the most ideal conditions. Add stress, anxiety, pain, misery, and tears in your eyes; suddenly ...

If you’re anything like me, summer came quick, fast and in a hurry. Summer means trips, weekend getaways, camping and my personal favorite; beach vacations. I’ve always enjoyed traveling and experiencing new things. Typically, traveling is hectic and stressful until you get to your destination. The planning. The packing. The traveling. The unpacking. It all can seem daunting, even to the most experienced traveler. As a 90’s kid, there wasn’t a greater illustration of traveling mishaps than Home Alone. Home Alone is when a bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O'Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must pro...

KYLE: These are questions I'm sure you have been asked, but I would like to know. Share how you found out about you having ALS and how you reacted. SETH: ALS affects everyone differently, so the diagnosis process is often long drawn out. For me, I first noticed a small muscle twitch in my right shoulder while on a cruise in 2014. I brushed it off and chalked it up as a possible symptom of an old injury. After 6 months of continuous twitching and some pain in my shoulder, I decided to see an Orthopedic Surgeon. The orthopedic surgeon scheduled an MRI which showed a torn rotator cuff and labrum. The surgeon suggested surgery, but advised that I should see a Neurologist prior to surgery to have the twitching looked at further. I went to my first Neurologist appointment at Ruby Memorial hospital in May 2015, without a care in the world. I had no idea that mine and my family's lives were about to be changed forever. The Neurologist examined me and determined that I was now twitchin...

  My name is Cory Seth Poling. My friends and family call me Seth. I'm 35 years old, born and raised in Buckhannon, WV. I moved to Morgantown, WV 10 years ago. I often say that moving to Morgantown was the best decision of my life, because it eventually led me to meeting the love of my life. I met my wife, Erika, 10 years ago through mutual friends. After numerous attempts to "court" Erika, she couldn't resist my charming personality and dazzling looks and agreed to go on a date with me! But in all seriousness, Erika and I began dating at the beginning of 2014. We were engaged after 15 months of dating and married on August 20, 2016. We have 2 sons, Liam Seth Poling and Bayler Michael Poling. Liam is 3.5 years old and Bayler is 2.5 years old. We have a family dog named Brier. We live the typical life of a younger 30s married couple with 2 children under 4 years old, despite the fact that I have a terminal illness. I have ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig diseas...