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NASHVILLE, Nov. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- A new book chronicling the journal of an ALS patient has just released during National Family Caregivers Month. Edited by his widow Beth Chilcoat, NOBODY TELLS A DYING GUY TO SHUT UP is the honest, personal diary of David Chilcoat who succumbed to the disease (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 2006 after a three-year battle. Beth Chilcoat is now featured on a special interactive section on the New York Times website known as Healthguide Patient Voices.

Mentioned in the New York Times piece, NOBODY TELLS A DYING GUY TO SHUT UP takes the reader from David Chilcoat's diagnosis ("Today we really got a kick in the shorts") to the end ("Needless to say, I was confused. At times, when things do not make sense, it is hard to know what is really true."). After grieving for her husband for over a year, Beth made the decision to take David's 1000-plus page online journal and edit it into book form to aid other families who may be going through a similar crisis.

For more than a decade, the Chilcoats worked with Young Life, a worldwide ministry dedicated to working with adolescents and helping them grow in their faith. David and Beth helped to establish the Young Life chapter in the Columbus, Ohio area that today is headed by one of their sons, Michael. David later went to law school and practiced law for over 25 years before his diagnosis of ALS in 2003.

In compiling the book, she chose the title from a phrase that David used often: NOBODY TELLS A DYING GUY TO SHUT UP. It was a difficult process to relive the three-year ordeal, but Beth wanted the book to be a comfort to families going through chronic illnesses and on-going health issues. She offers advice to spouses and loved ones who are thrust into the caregiver role.

"Live life to the greatest extent you can with your circumstances and the limitations of your health condition," says Beth. "We traveled some and I treasure those moments as some of my most precious times with David. And don't be afraid to accept help that is offered when it will truly aid your situation. Family, friends and our church members wanted to help and we welcomed the meals and errand-running. They were a precious gift to us."

Visit Beth Chilcoat.