In her 24 years as a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi, Nicole Buchholz’s vocation has taken her from a small town in Montana to Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, Mexico, Haiti, and the Philippines. She has worked in schools, universities, retreats and missions, serving youth, young adults, women, and families. Today, living with ALS, her daily life and apostolate look very different, but Nicole’s vocation remains the same: to offer her whole life to Christ.
In 2018, while Nicole was serving in her fourth year in the Philippines, she noticed that she had developed a slight limp. Over the year, as walking became more difficult, Nicole consulted with a number of doctors, including a chiropractor, an orthopedic surgeon, and finally, a specialist at the Emory ALS Center in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2019, Nicole’s diagnosis was confirmed: She had ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a fatal degenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and for which there is no cure.
But Nicole’s immediate reaction to the news was surprising and unexpected: She was filled with great joy! For Nicole, the diagnosis of ALS was a personal invitation out of love to respond in love—to offer herself to the Lord. “When we just offer ourselves, anything we do can be transformed into grace,” says Nicole. “I have something I can give, something I can offer, and that continues to give me a lot of joy, because it is a little mission in itself.”
“This has been my path. There’s not much physically that I can do—even talking is difficult—but it’s not about that. What is essential is belonging to Christ, being his. Our path to holiness eventually calls us to let go of all the things we can do, and just be his, because that’s what we were created for—to just be his.”
Nicole is a member of the Consecrated Women’s Territorial Directorate Community in Atlanta, Georgia, and continues to serve by providing spiritual direction, preaching, and writing. Her most important apostolate, however, is intercessory prayer and the offering of her life to Jesus, praying and sacrificing continually for the needs of Regnum Christi in the North American Territory.
The symptoms of ALS, which often begin as muscle twitching or weakness, get worse over time, eventually affecting control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat, and breathe. The challenges of managing ALS continue to impact Nicole’s daily life, and activities that used to be simple—like popping over to a friend’s house—now take much more effort, and more help and involvement from others. “Things I enjoyed doing with others or by myself have had to change and adapt to this new truth in my life. Others have had to change and adapt to me as well,” says Nicole. “Someone must drive me. Someone must pack and unpack my wheelchair. Someone must help me up the steps.”
“Human love is so beautiful! How is it that we can love like this? We learn this from God. The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us. How beautiful is that?!”
How you can help
The Consecrated Women’s Territorial Community is currently raising funds to cover some of Nicole’s larger medical needs as her disease progresses. These include a wheelchair van and the possible addition of automatic wheelchair accessible doors to their building, and they are about halfway toward their overall fundraising goal.
All funds received will go directly to support Nicole’s health, wellness, and accessibility needs as she continues to manage ALS, and all donations are tax-deductible. You can donate online or by check: Checks can be made out to “Consecrated Women Inc.” and can be mailed to:
c/o Teresa Williams
951 Peachtree Pkwy
Cumming, GA 30041
Please specify that the check is for Nicole’s Medical Fund.
You can read Nicole’s full story here, or watch this interview where she talks about living her consecrated vocation with and through ALS. Read Nicole’s past reflections at Regnum Christi Spirituality Center and at Gratia Vobis Ministries, where she continues to contribute monthly.
