Monthly Archives: May 2015
Fighting ALS (Lou Gehrig’s)
Hihi, my name is Angela. I have what’s known as FALS (Familial ALS). Most people have never heard of it. It basically means that ALS I’d in my genes. Any member of my family starting with (as far back as we’ve found) my maternal great-grandfather. He died from ALS, as did my grandmother.
We found out a decade after my grandmother passed away, that she didn’t just sporadically get it, as do most, but that our family CARRIES THE GENE, & our chances of dying of it are 45-50%. Pretty scary.
Plus, a high school friend, former NFL player Tim Shaw has regular (not that regular means better) ALS.
We’re trying to raise money for the cause. Last summer a lot of money was raised, but a cure is still far off.
Only approximately 5% of people are cursed with FALS-the KNOWING, WONDERING..who’ll get it next?.. When? So far we lost my great granddad & my grandma. Had I known beforehand, I may have decided to not have children lest they be stricken with this INCURABLE ATROCITY, or that I will..
Look at what the ICE BUCKET CHALLENGES DID FOR US:
Everyone remembers last year & all the ‘Ice Bucket Challenges’ but those ‘fun’ fundraisers have come to an end. Yet, ALS hasn’t. ALS 1st touched my life in 2001 when my best friend in the world-my grandma-was diagnosed. 92-95% of ALS cases basically just happen. No rhyme or reason. That other 5%? That’s the % my family belongs to. We carry familial ALS, with no way of knowing if I will get it, my mom, my Uncle, Brother, Daughter..So it’s scary.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE-AS LITTLE AS $5 COULD CHANGE LIVES…
What we’re looking for us simple: a TINY amount of help. Help us find a cure: Everyone ‘knows’ cancer-when someone wears pink, people KNOW WHY-there’s literally a billion dollar industry just in pink cancer flair products & advertising, along with the what? $3300 you have to raise JUST FOR THE STATUS OF A Susan Colman WALKER!!! We do it out of LOVE.
Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) isn’t like that. Not a bit. For instance, if I were to wear turquoise for ALS? No one would know why! But we still struggle with it & walk..& walk..& do our best to raise the little money we can.
The ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE of last summer REALLY HELPED (as shown in some graphs above), but that’s all over now & people are still dying. My school friend Tim? Had to retire from the NFL-due to ALS. He didn’t know that’s what it was then, but it didn’t take long…
At Walk & Roll, we’re all walking for someone. My Team Triple MMM? My grandmother: For (M)arjorie (M)arie (M)cDonald…I hope you never have to walk for anyone.
Beginning with this year’s walk, (Which I’m looking forward to several more on my team) is now:
**Team Triple MMM-Shaw**
HELP HERE
It has changed for the beloved Clarenceville High School & Penn State Alumni, former Carolina Panther, Chicago Bear, & most recently, Tennessee Titan. He also is a very religious man who did AMAZING missionary work, even AFTER diagnosis, he simply did what came natural to him – helping others!
My grandmother was diagnosed at 79, Tim at 29.
Last year, when I found out Tim had contracted ALS, I knew I’d be doing things a little differently. This year, I would like to walk & raise money not only in my grandma’s honor, & the pALS I have always raised money and walked for, but now his legacy as well.
ALS is similar to Cancer in some ways: it doesn’t discriminate-gender, age, race, class, fitness, health, wealth, it has no preference, but UNLIKE Cancer, it doesn’t matter WHEN you catch it, you die.
(Side Note: There IS 1-yes, ONE, INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE medication you can take [They even got the name correct on the bottle Lucious Lyon held on the show ‘Empire’] It’s called Rilutek (Riluzole). Honestly?? IDK how much it is now, I heard they’ve FINALLY made a generic, but still…We paid $957 PER MONTH for this medication running up credit cards, selling my grandmother’s belonged vacation home… but we’d have done anything, & I mean ANYTHING. PROBLEM IS, it has HORRIFYING side effects, & WORST OF ALL???
It gives the average user an extended 3-6 months. MONTHS. Let THAT sink in!!
There are close to 1,000 pALS (people with ALS) in Michigan battling ALS everyday, and another 200 are diagnosed every year.
ALS of Michigan provides critically needed, community based services to Michigan pALS and their families. From respite care to speech services to equipment loans to support groups, seminars, and workshops, we are there every step of the way to make living with ALS a little bit easier.
But, we need your help! Will you???
I HAD to walk for someone, HAVE to. Scratch that. I CHOOSE to walk for someone. Someone I loved dearly. Please PLEASE won’t you help & donate? Every cent is a chance to make it so that NO ONE ever has to walk in someone’s memory again! If it were ME reading another’s plight, it wouldn’t even be a matter of question–even if I could only afford $5!
You know you can! Do it to feel good, do it for me, my grandmother, or another pALS angel. Or do it for Tim, for his team, or the NFL. Do it for Stephen Hawking, do it for the thousands of unknown victims who feel they have no hope because their disease just isn’t “POPULAR ENOUGH” Do it because you beat cancer, or know someone who didn’t. Do it for a tax break, do it to pay it forward, to feel happy, helpful or accomplished, do it to warm your soul… Whatever your reason, I DO know ONE THING: There’s not a SINGLE REASON NOT TO!! So..will you???
Please support our walk team so we can continue to provide the services that our ALS community has come to depend on. REMEMBER-there may not be an I in ‘team’ but there also isn’t a ‘cure’ without U!
Here’s what you’d be helping:
ang923 