Wellington woman wins scholarship after father's diagnosis changes her career path

WELLINGTON — Standing on the field at PNC Park, her dad by her side, her mom behind home plate, the 24-year-old Wellington resident listened patiently as the Live Like Lou 2022 Iron Horse Scholarships were announced. She was one of 10 finalists and hearing her name would be life-changing. "Erica Benton," the announcer said. She looked at her dad, who was the reason she was standing there, and he was crying. She saw her mom, Carrie Benton, across the field and she was crying as well. "They were just super proud and super happy," Erica Benton said. Benton was one of four national winners and the only one from Ohio to win the more than $17,000 scholarship. Not only did the scholarship mean she would graduate debt-free in May 2023, but it also had a personal meaning as well. When Benton started college, she knew she wanted to help people, which is why she decided to study criminal justice. But it wasn't long before fate intervened. Her father, Chip Benton, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and the 2017 Firelands High School graduate made other plans. Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease after the professional baseball player who was diagnosed with it, ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control. According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in a limb, or slurred speech. Eventually, ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. At this time, there is no cure for the disease, which is fatal. Doctors usually don't know why ALS occurs. Five percent to 10 percent of those with ALS inherited it. In most people with familial ALS, their children have a 50-50 chance of developing the disease. That has been the case in the Benton family. Erica Benton's grandfather passed away from the disease before she was born. Her dad was diagnosed in 2019 and her brother was diagnosed during the pandemic after it was discovered he carried the same gene mutation as her father. Additionally, Chip Benton was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a common complication of ALS, according to the Mayo Clinic. Benton switched her major to clinical laboratory science after her dad's diagnosis. She currently works at University Hospitals in Elyria as a student technician. "I love it there," she said. "I'd love to stay there. In the end, if I end up in a research lab, that would be the ultimate goal." Winning the scholarship means Benton will have "one less thing to worry about when I graduate," she said. "It's a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders." And she couldn't be more thankful. "Not only knowing this organization does so much for people struggling with ALS and their families, but also has this huge research aspect that will help families like mine is everything," she said. Benton is focused on finishing school, working and spending time with her dad. "He's doing OK," she said. "He has his good days and bad days, just like everyone else." Contact Christina Jolliffe at ctnews@chroniclet.com.