Those who knew Jessica Wright Pottinger were well acquainted with her signature smile and joyous enthusiasm for life.
Those who didn’t will experience her undying warmth and optimism through funds raised at the Inaugural Jessica Pottinger Memorial Golf Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Tubac Golf Resort and Spa, 1 Avenue de Otero Road, south of Tucson.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the ALS Association Arizona Chapter (webaz.alsa.org) and Together in Hope/Jessica’s Table, a program through Bellaire and Bethany United Methodist Churches that provides food and education for impoverished children in the Philippines, El Salvador and Ethiopia.
“Mom had that unique ability to make people feel good about themselves, regardless of who they are or where they came from. People who came in contact with her always left feeling better about themselves,” said Travis Pottinger, who is organizing the tournament along with his wife, Heidi and his siblings Kyle Pottinger and Tory Feiler. “She had a huge support system through her associates at Raytheon and her many friends, and this is an opportunity to bring everyone back together not only to remember her, but to celebrate her life and give something to others.”
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Jessica, a native Tucsonan and longtime executive assistant at Raytheon, died at age 51 on Dec. 30, 2008, after a five-year battle with Amotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Travis was her caregiver, and saw firsthand the devastation caused by the neurodegenerative disease that right now afflicts about 45 Southern Arizonans and 300 people statewide.
“She went through five years of progression with a disease that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. It is a horrible, horrible disease, but she did it with a smile on her face. It was a testament to her strong will and the appreciation of life she had moving forward,” Travis said.
The debilitation inflicted by ALS — which gradually robs those impacted of the ability to walk, move, speak and breathe over two to five years — necessitates significant resources and assistance for patients and their families, ALS Association Arizona Chapter Communications Coordinator Anissa Franklin said.
“We try to make this process as easy as possible for patients and their families,” Franklin said. “Our programs help extend independence, and that helps them along the journey. This diagnosis is really scary and having people with knowledge is really important so patients and their families don’t feel alone and have somewhere to turn. Whether they have questions about insurance or benefits or medical equipment or anything at all, we can direct them to helpful resources.”
The ALS Association offers a variety of free services and programs, including a Loan Closet that provides specialized medical equipment and supplies ranging from bathroom equipment to $30,000 wheelchairs and computerized speech generating devices operated with eye-gaze systems.
“Annually, a patient goes through about $200,000 worth of equipment with this disease, so our Loan Closet is one of our biggest programs,” Franklin said.
The ALS Association also offers care services including home visits to evaluate the patient’s home and needs upon diagnosis and as the disease progresses; respite for caregivers; support groups for friends and family; and a new children’s program in which child life specialists visit families and address the end-of-life process.
Travis said the ALS Association holds a special place in his heart for the support it provided to his mother, himself and his family to help Jessica optimize her independence and quality of life for as long as possible, and maintain dignity and grace in her life.
“Doctors explain ALS as being on a downward slope: the angle of the slope dictates the progression. The ALS Association helped us to be proactive about the progression and provided guidance as far as what would be needed down the road. They helped us prepare so we could maintain a proactive approach,” he said.
The Pottinger family hopes the upcoming golf tourney will raise at least $10,000 to aid the ALS Association Arizona Chapter in its endeavors and to celebrate Jessica’s legacy of joy and optimism in the face of dire circumstances.
“My mom loved the quote, ‘Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass ... it’s about learning to dance in the rain,’” Travis said. “It served as testament to the way she lived her life.”
