{"id":110559,"date":"2014-09-25T12:46:55","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T19:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=110559"},"modified":"2014-09-25T12:54:25","modified_gmt":"2014-09-25T19:54:25","slug":"1968-olympian-eadie-wetzel-davis-living-with-als-sons-release-emotional-tribute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/1968-olympian-eadie-wetzel-davis-living-with-als-sons-release-emotional-tribute\/","title":{"rendered":"1968 Olympian Eadie Wetzel Davis Living With ALS, Sons Release Emotional Tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 25. THE Ice Bucket Challenge that became the biggest viral sensation of 2014 brought huge awareness \u2013 and a lot of money \u2013 to the crippling disease that is ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Today, the disease hit the swimming community hard with the release of a video that showed 1968 Olympian Eadie Wetzel Davis in a wheelchair incapacitated from the effects of ALS.<\/p>\n

According to the information in the video posted by Wetzel Davis\u2019 sons Whit and Casey Hansen, she was hit last year at 60 years old rather suddenly with symptoms later diagnosed as Frontotemporal Dementia, or FTD. The symptoms cause the person to lose significant brain function affecting speech and movement. Wetzel Davis\u2019 prognosis was changed to full ALS shortly after.<\/p>\n

Wetzel Davis was an alternate for the 1968 Olympic team after placing fourth in the 400 free and sixth in the 100, 200 and 800 freestyles at the Olympic Trials. Her biggest claim to fame was breaking the world record in the 200 free as a 15-year-old in August 1968 with a 2:08.80. That time was summarily smashed two weeks later at the Olympic Trials by Debbie Meyer\u2019s 2:06.70.<\/p>\n