Bill Cunning into great American of course, the living legend Jim Scott that's had
some health difficulties recently began in radio in nineteen sixty eight, and as a
boy, as a young man driving back and forth between Deer Park and Xavier.
Beginning in January of nineteen sixty eight, I had the opportunity to begin
listening to Jim Scott on thirteen sixty WSAI and a few months later I happened
to run into him. It might have been at a Kroger store, and
I walked up to Jim and said, Jim Scott, I'm Bill Cunning him.
I listen to you every day. And Jim Scott said to me,
well, Bill, what do you want to be? I said, I'm
at Xavier right now. I want to be a lawyer at some point.
And Jim Scott said to me, hopefully a good one. And I said,
well, I hope so too. And the year's flown by then.
In nineteen eighty three, I had the good fortune of hooking up with Randy
Michaels, who started this radio station's changed to what it is today. And
nineteen eighty four, Randy Michaels thought so much about Jim Scott as a morning
man, that he bought the radio station in which Jim's Scott was about to
begin work. I think it was ninety four point one and the rest is
history. And Jim Scott spent the next thirty one years here, and just
for edification purposes, I went online and we played for you yesterday. Jim
Scott sign off on April third, twenty fifteen, Jim Scott's day through opening
day and he signed off on April third, twenty fifteen. And it's been
I can't believe it's been nine years since Jim Scott left the radio here and
now he announced several months back he contracted Luke Garriggs's disease also known as ALS,
and that he is fighting the fight. I've said before it's awfully unfair
when a young man begins life with polio and ends it with Luke Griggs's disease
ALS. But Jim Scott is with us now. First of all, Jim
Scott, welcome to the Bill Cunningham Show, to your radio station. And
secondly, Jim's got how are you feeling at this point? There? Well,
presuent boy and and Donna, his wife was out his side and Donna
Donald, let me ask you this. Let's go back a little bit on
the journey that began about a year or two ago. When did you first
think Jim was exhibiting some symptoms? Well, in October of twenty twenty,
Jim was golfing and he kept feeling like his left side was weak, and
so he was referred to U see neurological and on Opening Day twenty twenty one,
Jim was diagnosed with ALS. What happened was he was in the parade
and he had to run up for one o'clock appointment, and the doctor said,
I'm sorry to tell you this, but I think you have ALS.
And Jim said, you got to be kidding. It's April Fool's Day,
it's Opening Day, and you're telling me I have a disease named after a
baseball player. And that was Opening Day twenty twenty one. Yep. And
then and then he really we had a couple of good years and then probably
the last oh about a year ago, he lost just lost the use of
his left arm. And then about a half a year ago he started walking
with a shuffle or maybe a little more than that, and started using a
cane. But Jim learned a golf one arm. He's fabulous one armed golfer
and everything, and so it became pretty obvious. So he went public in
August. And then in October Jim contracted als related pneumonia and he was golfing
on a Monday, and on a Wednesday, his als just went straight over
the cliff. So we've been in and out of hospitals and rehabs and home
and everything since October. And Donna, as a caregiver, what is this?
Uh, some consider it to be a gift, many consider it to
be a burden. And you've been with him for decades. Well, how
has this impacted your life? Donna? And as far as you're car for
him, explained, Well, you know, I Jim is one four to
seven for me. I I it's who wouldn't And I'm halfway to a nursing
degree. But gosh, you know, I will say that I thought I
loved Jim as much as I possibly could, But since this happened, you
know, I I just it is just like plumbed the depths of my love
for Jim, and so were well, I don't know, purchase we're in
it together, Yeah, Jim said, thank you, well, you have
a great wife, and Donna, as far as every now and then,
everyone has known someone with a terrible disease, and ALS is not a good
Alzheimer's, whatever it might be. Maybe I'll tell you what this is.
This is the atomic f bomb of diseases. It's we had no idea until
it really hit in recent launch, the immensity of this disease. So,
yeah, and as far as the care and the treatment, I've read up
on it in preparation for the interview a little bit. There's a hope that
there's some minor treatment for it, but there is no cure. Hardly anyone
comes out the other side. It's generally a one way straight But I have
hope in five to ten to fifteen years maybe AI or something else could come
up with therapies. And as I understand that, Donna, there's no particular
cause, and one can point to an element that causes this is simply occurs.
Is that right? Explain that that's true? And that's why treatment is
it is so experimental, because if you don't know the cause, then how
can you come up with medicines to treat or cure it? So and yeah,
and houses and you talk about your relationship has improved, and sometimes these
relationships go the other way in these difficult circumstances. Why do you think in
your view the relationship and you always love Jim. I think everyone loved Jim
Scott, but as far as you as his wife, you known him in
his good times, and it's bad for the last several decades houses impact to
your respect and love for him. Well, because Jim, Jim still is
Jim. But but his grace and his his gratitude and his will and his
willingness and his appreciativeness for every caregiver that we've encountered. He you know,
so many of them that they're younger too, and they don't know he's Jim
Scott, and they don't know Jim's who Jim Scott is anyway, but he
within a day everybody loves him. And and and just watching that and watching
Jim's spirit and his will and his kindness. You know, he always turns
the conversation to tell me about you and right, right, and yeah,
so like that that that I think that really just is so deep into my
appreciation for maybe the Jim got part of Jim. You sent me some photos
and last week Neil Lucan Finley Market Parade held the news conference where they have
to have pureval and others, in which there was an expectation and hope that
Jim could be the honorary Grand Marshal. Of course, Dmitri Young and Pokey
Reese are the Grand Marshal's Reds players, but Jim is the honorary Grand Marshal.
And you sent me some beautiful photos explain what's going to happen on opening
day, which is twenty three days away. The photos you sent me in
that car explained what that is and who donated that to you to be used
for that day? Okay, Well, ever since Jim found out that he
was going to be Grand Marshall, he wanted our very good friend Jim Schwartman.
Jim wanted to ride in one of Jim's two nineteen sixty three Pontiac convertibles.
And so that's Jim's car. And what he did was he brought it
over and two good who is just yesterday? Yeah, in uh two or
three OT occupational therapists and physical therapists, we did a dress rehearsal to see
if we can get him in the car because we can't walk anymore. And
so they had two ideas, and the first one didn't quite work, and
the second one did. And so Jim is going to be in that car
in the Opening Day parade, and we are we don't we don't want to
tire Jim out before the praise starts, because one of the things about als
is extreme fatigue. So Neil Lucan said, I'll get you a police escort
to get through all the closed streets. So we're gonna come swooping up in
that that convertible to a block long, and Jim's going to be in the
front seat waving it people because his right arm still works. His waving arm
works. So you know, I kind of look at this donna. It's
on Opening Day of twenty twenty one. Jim Scott, perhaps as much as
Neil Lucan or anyone else, loves Opening Day in the Finley Market Parade.
He marched in it for decades and five. This will be his fifty fifth
parade. Fifty is fifty six in a row Opening Day parade. No,
this will be fifty five. He missed it because he was in New York
at w NBC one year and then there was a COVID, but no parade,
but he's walked fifty four of them. In this one he'll ride,
and it's twenty three days from now. How important is it for Jim to
do whatever is necessary through rehab or whatever to make sure that twenty three days
from today, almost at this exact hour, he'll be riding in the Finley
Market parade. How important is Jim to make that? I should let him
answer that. Go ahead, Jim, Oh for the the can you interpret
that a little bit? He still has his wit? She said, I'll
tell you how important it is every night I go sleep in a convertible?
Uh? Is are there humorous? Because you know when you hear this done?
Are there humorous? Are there funny? Are there human elements of this
disease in this journey that you can share with some others about moments that brought
you closer together? Well, there are some funny ones, and I almost
can't share them because they have to do with bodily functions that you know.
It's as as him is like lost control of everything, of everything you got.
Sometimes you gotta laugh. Yeah you have to. I mean you have
to. And and I've become like an extreme caregiver, and you know,
you gotta laugh at stuff, sure so, but I can't tell you the
stories because they all involved well, you know, Donna, the World War
two was a serious business, but there was some humor that came out of
it. And at the end of the day, you have to realize there's
millions and millions of tries date residents, many of whom have never met Jim
uh, but they're hurt by the fact that this is the way things might
end for him in the next few weeks or a few months. And it's
it's a sadness. But you know, two things each of us share is
that we're born on a day and we die on a day. And what
happens in between those two events describes and the fines a person's contributions. And
I know of no one in the tri State or in America who's contributed more,
cared more for those who are in need, for those that are hungry,
for those who had Pulley or other diseases, for those that now have
als, and that Jim Scott was an ambassador throughout decades of individuals that were
in need, whether it was ringing a bell for the Salvation Army, or
playing golf for the Arthritis Foundation, the American Art Association always with the Grippo
Bag and a good friend of yours doctor Allan Cordell, and others Jeff Beckham
Oins, a trucking company, still have a Grippo's bag signed that they take
with them to play golf because it reminds them of their time with Jim Scott
and he will not be ever forgotten. He's a living legend. And Jim
Scott. Lastly, do you understand, Jim, how you're held in love
and awe by many in the Tri State and we feel like we owe you
more than you can give to us. Do you understand, Jim Scott how
much you're loving respected in this town. I love them, even me,
He even loves me. Well, well, you tell Jim I'll be there
about three point thirty today to check in on him and say hello. And
uh, Jim Scott, stay strong. The Pontiac Convertible in nineteen sixty three
is waiting for you, and uh, God willing, we pray you'll be
with us on Red's opening day and Jim's good. Thank you for all the
contributions you've made to the people of the Tri state. Got love you,
God bless Jim's got Donna, thank you very much and I'll see you in
a couple hours. Okay, thanks, thank you, thank you, God
bless you. Thank you. All right, let's continue with more and Uh.
I'm going to continue to support Jim every which way that I can,
in small ways. And it is so unfair that a person that has fought
so long and so hard to make other lives more livable at the toward the
end of his days, has contracted Luke Errick's disease. But as you can
and see, Donna and Jim's love for each other has deepened. And before
you go to bed tonight, say a prayer for Jim Scott and for his
UH and for the peace that only the Lord can provide. Let's continue with
more. Go Cunningham News Radio seven hundred Wow. Rocky here with a reminder.
If you miss a part of the Eddie and Rocky Show, you can
always catch the podcast on the iHeartRadio app and hear what you missed. Also,
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