When Eric Kentor first met his wife, Adrienne, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) during law school, neither could have imagined the rich and meaningful life they would build together. After marrying in 1988, they had two daughters, Nikki and Corinne, and remained in the Los Angeles area for their entire marriage. Together, they built a home rooted in love, community, and service.
Eric’s passion for protecting the environment and the ocean was a defining part of who he was and will always be. Over the years, he volunteered with Heal the Bay, the Whale Festival, and other environmental organizations, and he remained a dedicated supporter of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). His desire to make a difference also shaped his career. As General Counsel of MiniMed (now a part of Medtronic), Eric contributed to groundbreaking advances in diabetes care, including the proliferation of the insulin pump and the glucose sensor – work that continues to change lives. Adrienne, equally committed to service, found her calling in education. As a full-time volunteer college counselor for the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, she helps low-income and first-generation students pursue their dreams of higher education. As parents, Eric and Adrienne instilled in Nikki and Corinne a deep sense of altruism and responsibility for helping others and the world around them.
Even as their daughters grew into adulthood, the Kentor family stayed very close. With an empty nest, Eric and Adrienne embraced their shared love of travel. They especially enjoyed their hiking journeys along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and through the Dolomites in Italy.
In early 2019, Eric began experiencing his first ALS symptoms of extreme and rapid weight loss as well as muscle fasciculations throughout his body. As non-medical professionals, the family struggled to understand what was happening. It wasn’t until February of 2020–when Eric’s sister, a nurse, saw him and urged the family to get a neurological evaluation–that they moved closer to answers. On March 27, 2020, Eric’s 61st birthday, he received his tentative ALS diagnosis. Due to the COVID pandemic, Eric was not able to get an official diagnosis and access care until May of 2020.
Because Eric’s tentative diagnosis happened just two weeks into the COVID-19 shutdown, the Kentors initially felt isolated from the ALS community. But Eric, with his background in the medical field, understood the vital role that research and clinical trials play. With determination, he secured a spot in the HEALY Platform Trial, participating in the Phase 2 Pridopidine study–work that has now progressed to a Phase 3 trial. In April of 2023, Nikki joined the ALS Network’s Southern California Community Outreach team, deepening the family’s connection to the ALS community and expanding their commitment to advocacy and support.
In May of 2023, the family attended the SoCal Ride to Defeat ALS (now the SoCal Ride, Walk & Roll to Cure ALS). Eric’s friends surprised him at the event, creating a cherished memory. In just two weeks, their team raised more than $5,000 in his honor. Sadly, Eric died from ALS on August 25, 2023.
Adrienne had previously participated in the ALS Network’s Caregiver Support Group and, after Eric’s passing, joined the Bereavement Support Group–finding comfort and connection among others who lost loved ones to ALS.
“ALS is an unrelenting disease,” Nikki and Adrienne share, “and so many emotions come with the diagnosis and progression. Eric was incredibly accepting of his diagnosis and approached the prognosis with practicality–focusing on what needed to be done while he could still do it. We, as his family, took our lead from him, and we are forever grateful for the grace and dignity he displayed during the 3.5 years he lived with ALS.”
The Kentors speak openly about the way ALS impacts not only the individual, but the entire circle of care. For them, the experience brought new levels of closeness and mutual respect, strengthening their bond even through tremendous hardship. They continue to honor Eric by supporting each other through their grief and through finding new ways to carry forward his love and purpose.
Over the past three years, Nikki and Adrienne have been greatly involved through the ALS Network’s Walk & Roll to Cure ALS and their endurance events in Southern California. They have also taken an active role in the ALS Community Summit and advocacy trips to Washington, D.C. In 2024, Adrienne spoke on a panel about caregiving–sharing her wisdom, honesty, and resilience with other families navigating ALS. Her talk, “Loving Eric and Finding Happiness in Hard Times,” focused on the ways their whole family found peace and joy, even through the hardest parts of their family’s ALS journey.
“The importance of care for people currently living with ALS is often overshadowed by the search for treatments and cures,” Nikki and Adrienne say. “Improving quality of life and giving people living with ALS and their families the support they need is vital to preserving dignity, making ALS a less daunting diagnosis in the present, and helping us all strive toward a future without this devastating disease.”
The Kentor family’s dedication to honoring Eric’s memory and their relentless efforts to support the ALS community are truly inspiring. Through advocacy, connection, and a shared commitment to the ALS Network’s mission, they carry Eric’s legacy forward every day.