Chase Chrisley's Ex-Fiancée, Emmy Medders, Mourns Loss of Dad from ALS

Medders, who appeared on 'Chrisley Knows Best,' announced her father’s death from ALS nearly 5 years after his diagnosis

The father of Emmy Medders died Sunday after being diagnosed with ALS nearly 5 years ago, the reality stared shared on Instagram late Tuesday night.

Medders first shared her father Michael’s diagnosis in a 2019 Instagram post, when she called him “my first and biggest love. My encourager and my keeper.”

Medders, who appeared with ex-fiancé Chase Chrisley on his father Todd's reality show Chrisley Knows Best, wrote on Tuesday that her father Michael had “won the race and now you’re home. 🤍”

“My hero is healed and at rest. My precious Daddy hung up his jersey on Sunday after his difficult battle with ALS. Five years of fighting so bravely but yet so beautifully, never once complaining about the cruel disease or his condition. In difficult moments he was always the comforter. He constantly reminded my family of the things we should be grateful for and how blessed we truly were.”

ALS — short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — is often called Lou Gehrig's disease, after the baseball star who famously had the illness. It’s a progressive disease of the nervous system, the Mayo Clinic explains, and there is no cure.

“ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, trouble swallowing or slurred speech. Eventually ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe,” the Mayo Clinic says.

Related: Aaron Lazar Says He Won't 'Fight' ALS After His Diagnosis: 'There's Nothing to Beat'

Two weeks ago, Michael Medders shared an Instagram selfie of himself in an oxygen mask, with the caption, "I’m going to sleep; love everyone ♥️."

The replies, however, were relatively upbeat, with his daughter writing, "Get some rest!!! I love you!"

On Tuesday, Medders praised her father in her Instagram stories, where she posted a photo of their intertwined hands.

“I told him moments before he was welcomed into the arms of Jesus that today was going to be one of the best days of his entire life, and he knew it. I held his hand with tears welled in my eyes, smiling through the pain, reminding him of how beautiful this day was going to be for him,” Medders wrote.

“I told him that we were so happy that at any minute he would be rejoicing in heaven, fully healed, and restored again. He would be able to walk, run, breathe, talk, all of the things that cruel ALS took from him here on earth. No more pain and no more suffering. What a beautiful day it was for him. Selfishly I wanted him to stay, but I am so comforted, knowing he is healed, and we will see him again.”

Related: Young Father Defying the Odds of His ALS Diagnosis Says the Disease Is 'No Longer Hopeless'

“I’m going to miss seeing your beautiful smile that always lit up any room, your unbelievable wisdom and advice, and your comments on all of my instagram posts saying “I love you.” I’ll miss your silly dance moves and you always wanting to play or watch some tennis. I’m going to miss calling you every single night just to say “Goodnight, I love you.” I’m going to miss your smell, your hugs, your voice, and so many memories that I will always, always, always hold in my heart forever."

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