Rebekah Ott

Andy and Kari Robben’s family began their inspiring journey of faith and trust after Kari was diagnosed with ALS in 2015. Short for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), ALS is a nervous system disease with no known cure. Noticing symptoms of ALS during her pregnancy with their youngest son, Kari received a diagnosis less than a year after his birth.

“I thankfully am blessed to have a very slow progression,” said Kari. “Typically … a diagnosis comes with a lifespan of two to five years. Day to day, I am still very independent. I still drive and walk. I cook and clean.”

With her symptoms primarily isolated to her hands, arms, shoulders, and neck, Kari explained, “My kids carry things for me. My balance is really affected. I’m a lot slower than I used to be.” Her family allows her to maintain as much independence as possible, helping with more difficult tasks, such as cutting food, manipulating buttons and zippers, tying shoes, and pulling up her hair.

While learning about Kari’s diagnosis was initially difficult for the Robben family, they found the strength to trust in God’s plan.

“When she was first diagnosed, we let hopelessness creep in,” said Andy. “I begged God every night to switch our positions and let me be the one. I think we actually tried to use God instead of letting go and leaning on Him. Then, we switched that around and worked on being more positive. We are hopeful and thank God even for some of the consequences that came with this horrible disease. It has actually helped our faith, our family, and our perspective on life, and it has helped us to help others.”

“I can choose to be sad and not the person my kids need or that Andy deserves to be with,” said Kari, “or I can choose to be hopeful and embrace what we have, what I’ve been given, and live life.”

The family attends St. John the Baptist Parish in Harrison and enjoys spending time together traveling, learning about new places, and being outdoors. Andy works as a firefighter while Kari, a former schoolteacher, homeschools their children.

“Even though the disease took away Kari’s ability to continue in her teaching career, she decided to stay with the kids and homeschool them,” said Andy. “That’s a gift for our family, for her to spend more time with the kids.”

Kari converted to Catholicism in 2019, though she attended Mass with Andy for many years prior.

“For me, the thing that has helped through it all is that, no matter what, you’re not alone,” said Kari. “God is with you.” She shared an event that led her to the Catholic faith: “I started having trouble with my tongue, [and] I was lying in bed, so upset and scared; then, it felt like somebody came and wrapped their arms around me. Obviously, someone else was there watching over me.”

“The Catholic Church has been good for me,” she said, “because, when I am progressing and changing, it has been something that is constant and always consistent.”

Despite their mother’s diagnosis, the Robben children, Ella (15), Sofia (13), and Emmett (11), display a strong faith, thanks to their parents’ example and instruction.

“I can tell that she’s [Ella] been affected and wants Jesus more,” said Andy. “I think that seeing her mom struggle and still lean on Jesus is important to her and she wants to lean on Him as well.”

“We have had that conversation with them many times: ‘In life, you have an idea of what you want to happen, but it doesn’t always go the way you want it to or think it will,’” said Kari. “Our youngest, Emmett, says all the time: ‘God does things for a reason.’ They have been blessed to see that there are so many amazing people who want to help. We try to incorporate the faith into their schoolwork and have an open dialogue about everything with me and the faith.”

“As a family, we continue to go through things that hurt us,” continued Kari. “We experience loss and grief, but we always return to having a strong faith, knowing that it’ll be okay and we’re not alone, no matter what.”

The community’s support and prayers have greatly uplifted the Robben family and helped them orient their focus on God rather than the trials of this life on earth.  

“Instead of keeping our eyes on the disease, we keep our eyes toward being thankful for every day,” said Andy. “Overall, our perspective has changed because of God showing us that this doesn’t have to be the focus. He should be the focus. I’m not saying we’re perfect every day, but that always brings us back and grounds us to the reality of what’s truly important.”

“Ground yourself in Jesus and hope,” Andy continued. “We have hope of where we’re going after death, but also the positive mindset that we can get through this. We may not like the outcome—sometimes you can get so focused on death that you forget about life after death. Focus on that. That’s more important.”

This article appeared in the April 2026 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.