Corbin tattoo shop raising ALS awareness in Mary and Dale North's honor

Jun. 1—CORBIN — For anyone in the Tri-County who's been considering getting new ink, one local tattoo parlor will soon be hosting an event aimed at writing off ALS.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a deadly, unforgiving disease that makes communication between the brain and muscles deplete rapidly. This leaves the victim in a vegetative state while their brain is still active.

ALS is named after the famous New York Yankees baseball player who was forced to retire after developing the disease in 1939.

Since that time, the public has become more aware of the disease due to the diagnosis of Stephen Hawking — one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history.

There is no cure for ALS and only four known FDA-approved medications that might slow the symptoms of the disease. The life expectancy after a diagnosis on average is two years.

The North family, owners of N the Skin Tattoos and Piercings in Corbin, unfortunately know ALS forward and backward due to two of their loved ones tragically being victims of the disease.

The disease first took hold of Mary North, sister of founding owner Dale North.

At the time, the North family had no knowledge of ALS except for the popular Ice Bucket Challenge made famous on social media that many members of the North family participated in.

This would soon change for the Norths.

Mary kept losing control over her arm in 2014. She would drop her phone and then it started happening in the other arm as well.

A few months before onset, Mary had been hit by a drunk driver so the family thought it could be nerve damage.

Until one day, Mary could no longer breathe and was sent to the emergency room.

She was transported to Lexington, where Dr. Edward J. Kasarskis of the University of Kentucky Hospital diagnosed Mary with ALS. Likely, the stress of the accident activated the ALS gene in her body and symptoms began presenting themselves shortly after the wreck.

Mary spent three and a half years in the ventilator dependent unit of Rockcastle Regional Hospital, where her sister Gracie North Woods took care of her and learned to communicate with Mary by reading lips and understanding clicks of her tongue.

The ALS foundation paid for a custom chair and communication system for Mary valued at over $50,000 but her health declined too rapidly to use it.

Mary died at age 38.

"I think if Mary knew the outcome of this disease, she would have chosen a different path," Woods said. "To get ALS is a death sentence. My brother Dale knew that. I think that is why he chose the path he did."

Dale North was an outgoing entrepreneur who was in the business of believing in other's dreams no matter how big or how small.

"To know Dale North was to love Dale North," Glen Smith, Dale's best friend and shop manager at N the Skin, said.

"Some tattoo shops get a bad rep, not this one. He had clients from all over the world," Dale's wife Kelly proudly chimed in. "He had a way with babies and children like no one else. He would give the kids of clients fake tattoos and his four girls grew up in the shop. People all over the Tri-County would stop in to see Dale all the time whether it be for a tattoo session or some wise counsel and sometimes both. He saw our clients as people and he treated each one like family."

Dale was shown so much love during his time of need.

"Dale was given a wrong diagnosis and wasn't diagnosed with ALS until a few days before he died but we all knew; we just didn't want to accept it," Kelly said.

Dale lost 100 pounds and muscle mass while they were remodeling their new shop in 2021. He lost his ability to use a drill and became very weak. He became confined to a wheelchair eventually.

In October, Dale lost his ability to use the tattoo machine, something he was extremely passionate about.

Dale would then ask to go on Jeep rides with his sister and family to get out of the house.

After Dale ended up in the hospital, he chose not the fate of his sister Mary and did not want to be put on a ventilator, even though he needed it.

"The Tri-County community loved him. His famous saying 'Love your face off' was trending on social media with love and support for Dale. I read him the posts full of memories in the hospital. He cried. He wasn't much of a crier but he loved so many people," Woods recounted.

Kelly knew more than anyone how great of a man, father, husband and friend he was.

Dale North died October 5, 2022, at the age of 43.

Over 500 people from all over the U.S. attended his funeral. No funeral home was large enough. The city of Corbin donated the Corbin Arena space to have his funeral.

The city of Corbin also made Dale an honorary Corbin Colonel.

It is now the mission of Kelly as well as Dale's closest friends and family to educate the community on ALS and help find a cure or test for the disease.

For now, doctors have to rule everything else out before you get a diagnosis. There is no cure; there is no test.

Some common signs of ALS are sudden loss of control of limbs, tongue rolling, part of the wrist sunken in on the side and re-occurring uncontrollable, shaking-like muscle spasms.

"It's so important to know the signs and act fast," Woods said. "I feel like I have been robbed by the disease by losing not one but two siblings," Gracie said.

Siblings have a five percent chance of having the gene. If you have a family member with ALS, the ALS Foundation will provide a gene test that you can do in the comfort of your own home. You just swab your mouth for saliva and send it in.

Woods did not have the gene but she wants the community to know that that option is out there for people to give them peace of mind or at lease a jumpstart on handling the disease.

The N the Skin family has created a video on social media advertising an event planned for June 10 to raise money for the ALS Foundation. More than $1,500 has been raised so far from both online and in-person donations in the shop prior to the event.

"Dale has people he has touched and have become family with us," Kelly said. "We could tell you all day about the impact Dale has had on others but we will never know each one. He continues to do so with his story of ALS, the people he has mentored in his shop and his kindness that keeps getting passed on through the lives of those he touched."

The video has been viewed over 20,000 times on social media.

"No matter how big or how small your problem was, he acted like it was his own problem," Mandi Ball, best friend of Dale said. "He would Snapchat me daily and encourage me. I live in Northern Kentucky but I know if I needed something he would be right on my doorstep. He encouraged me all the way through school. To know Dale was to love Dale.

At the family-friendly event, $20 tattoos of a star in memory of Dale's many star tattoos, an ALS ribbon tattoo or a nose piercing will be available for ages 18 and up. All proceeds will be going to the ALS Foundation. Additionally, there will be food, raffles and activities for the kids like face painting and temporary tattoos.

Businesses from all over the community are providing fun things to do with a donation to the ALS Foundation.

If you are unable to go to the event, you can purchase a $1 ribbon or donate money to have your name on the shop wall at anytime.

Their goal is to have the entire shop covered with donation squares.

"It truly is a community effort," Smith said. "It has been amazing having the community come to me asking how they can help."

Already, over a dozen local businesses have donated or are participating in the event in some way.

"How amazing of a man to be handed a death sentence and still think of others," Kelly said. "Dale told me when he was diagnosed, I would be ok and maybe something good will come of this, that maybe the good will be there's not going to be anyone in the Tri-County area that has never heard of ALS."

That is their mission.

Link arms with the North family for ALS Awareness on June 10, from 12-4 p.m. at 210 N. Beatty Avenue in Corbin.

For more information, check out their Facebook page at N The Skin Tattoos and Body Piercings.