Dear Friends/Family,

On October 17, 2020 I am participating in the Baltimore Walk to Defeat ALS. I have my heart set on raising $1500 this year because I’m trying to do everything I can to make my impact on this disease. I have a very personal reason to walk and raise money - I am walking in memory of Renny, my 1st husband who died of this horrific disease at the age of 43.

This year there is a new "normal". We cannot gather to actually do the ALS Walk. I can guarantee you I will still get out and walk these 3 miles by myself. This organization is near and dear to my heart. I have said this more than once. I have been walking since before he passed away and I will continue to walk until the day I can't anymore myself. Please help me raise money for those still suffering from this awful disease. No amount is too small. I know things have changed for all of us due to the pandemic, but for those with ALS, things don't change. They still lose their motor skills, can't walk, can't use their hands, can't talk and ultimately paralyzed and die. There is no change and still no cure.

 

. One very important and needed program is the loan closet. Medical equipment such as wheel chairs, walkers and communication devices are loaned at no charge to ALS patients for as long as they need it. These programs are only possible through grants, donations and events such as the Walk to Defeat ALS. With your help, we can make a difference in the lives of all ALS patients and their families. Proceeds from this walk will help reach more people living with ALS, as well as promising research into the cause, treatment and management of this fatal disease. And hopefully someday in the near future a cure will be found

 

$25  provides a gait belt that helps safely transfer from wheelchair to car

$50  provides a specially designed shower chair for safety and comfort

$75  delivers equipment to the home of someone with ALS

$100  provides a hands free adaptive telephone device helping someone with ALS stay connected with friends and family

$500  provides a reconditioned laptop with augmented communication and e-mail messaging

$1000  funds a respite care grant for a caregiver's desperately needed break

 

Please sponsor our team and make a donation so that The ALS Assoc can help more people still suffering from ALS.

 

As always we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

       Laurie and Jeremy

 

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease", is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons, among the largest of all nerve cells, reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body with connections to the brain. When they die, as with ALS, the ability of the brain to start and control muscle movement dies with them. With all voluntary muscle action affected, patients in the later stages are totally paralyzed; yet through it all, their minds remain unaffected.