This is how Rolf Edberg works as the Foundation's Relatives Ambassador

February 16, 2023

Ulla-Kari and Rolf Edberg scored almost half a century together. They met at an outdoor venue at Kungsbron in Stockholm in 1969 and for Rolf the matter was clear. He had met the woman of his life.

Rolf Edberg is a Family Ambassador for the Borje Salming ALS Foundation. It involves many and long conversations with relatives and it is something that Rolf both appreciates and is a part of in his own healing.

“When one's life partner falls ill and dies, it takes some time to move on, even if the loss is great. But the fact that Ulla-Kari got sick with ALS and had to fight until the end, I cannot reconcile with that,” says Rolf Edberg.

The body was broken down

There were three children, professional years in the NHL and the great shared interest in golf. Until one day at the end of 2016 when the family discovered that Ulla-Kari had begun to have speech problems and then more symptoms followed and more rapidly Ulla-Kari's body was broken down.

“Ulla-Kari was a nurse and stubborn to fend for herself, to stay at home and to take care of all the equipment to keep her airways clear, and as her body became weaker, I took over more and more of the tasks.

The Edberg family asked for help getting support for a few hours a day. That Rolf could get some rest for a while or take a walk. When the news came, a negative message, Ulla-Kari was already dead.

“A few days before Ulla-Kari died, we came into the hospice and the doctor looked at me and said I would have to be admitted as well. I was completely exhausted,” Rolf Edberg recalls.
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No age limit for help

The age limit for applying for assistance under the LSS is now 66 years and from 2024 the limit will be 67 years, but Rolf Edberg believes that the age limit should be abolished altogether.

It is just over four years since Ulla-Kari died and today the grief is calmer. Rolf Edberg has now brought experiences with the disease, following a life partner into the last and all discussions with the healthcare to his assignment as a Relatives Ambassador in the Borje Salming ALS Foundation.

“It may sound strange, but all conversations with relatives help me. I get the opportunity to talk to someone who is, or has been, in the same situation and if I can help someone with my experiences then I'm happy.