Ken Zwergel, MD, is on a mission to defeat ALS
Ken Zwergel is navigating uncharted territory these days. The beloved pediatrician, who practiced with Queen City Physicians for more than 21 years, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) last December. Since then, he has devoted himself to raising awareness of the disease.
Zwergel, 57, knew from an early age that he wanted to be a pediatrician. “When I was 13 years old, I volunteered for a program helping kids with handicaps,” he said. “It inspired me to make helping kids my life’s work. I love watching them grow from totally helpless individuals into independent members of society.”
Helping others has been a major theme throughout Zwergel’s life. According to colleague Libbey Spiess, MD, who went through residency with him at Cincinnati Children’s and recruited him to Queen City Physicians, Zwergel is a trusted, kind, caring friend and a great team player.
“Ken liked to repair things around the office. If another doctor was running late, he would always pitch in and see additional patients. Sometimes he helped without anyone knowing about it,” said Spiess. “The fact that he is such a giving person makes his illness even more difficult to accept.”
A new “normal”
Zwergel knew long before he was officially diagnosed that he had ALS. “Being a physician, I recognized the symptoms,” he said.
Reluctantly, he had to give up his practice. Now his days are filled with therapy sessions and doctor visits. On this particular afternoon, he sits in his family room recliner and banters with the construction crew who are remodeling a bathroom to make it handicapped-accessible. Speaking is an effort, but he conveys his characteristic warmth and good nature as he thanks them for their work.
Zwergel is candid about adjusting to life with ALS. “Every day is a new adventure and a new humiliation,” he said. “My brain still works, but my motor skills are deteriorating.”
But along with the struggles, ALS is also revealing to him the depths of people’s love for him. His wife, Beth, and children, Kristopher, Kelsey and Arynn, are his bedrock.
The staff at Queen City Physicians send cards and visit regularly. Spiess started “Cake With Ken” to entice him back to the office for lunch. “I told the staff, ‘If we bake it, he will come.’ And he does,” she said.
Staff have also put together gift baskets filled with his favorite things, which will be raffled to raise money for ALS. So far, they’ve sold more than $2,000 in tickets.
Zwergel’s patients and families are equally prolific with thoughtful gestures. He points out a framed poster on the wall that one family created for him, a colorful testament to all the ways he’s made a difference in their lives.
Said Spiess, “The level of affection and gratitude families have for Ken is so impressive. In 2016, he was a finalist for the Aubrey Rose Foundation’s Doctor of the Year Award, but he remains humble. He’s always interested in the other person, and he has a gift for making them feel at ease.”
Building awareness
Zwergel aims to keep making a difference for others by assembling the largest team ever for the Walk to Defeat ALS on September 16 at Winton Woods-Harper Meadows. As of press time, his team, QCP, Family and Friends for Dr. Z, was ranked second in terms of team size and dollars raised.
For more information about Zwergel’s team, visit the Central and Southern Ohio ALS Association home page and click on the Walk to Defeat ALS link.
