![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I did not enjoy writing this message
Sep. 25th, 2004 11:03 amTwo years ago my cousin Ted was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 35. ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It is a rare degenerative condition that is virtually always fatal. ALS occurs most often in men over age 55, but can strike anyone at any age. The average lifespan after diagnosis is five years. As you might imagine, my cousin's disease has been very difficult for the entire family, but especially for his wife and three kids. However, they have gotten a lot of assistance from the ALS Association of Indiana, (ALSA Indiana), which provides equipment and services to ALS patients and their families.
ALS is somewhat rare, but chances are good that at some point in your life someone you know, a coworker or family member, a friend or business associate, will have this disease. It often begins as a weakness in the arms or legs. For my cousin, it started with a stiff leg, which coincidentally occurred after a minor skiing accident in early 2002. After weeks and then months of what seemed like a difficult recovery from an injury, Ted began a series of medical tests. In September, the diagnosis was ALS. In October 2002, Ted and his brother Dave and their families participated in their first ALS Walk fundraiser, a team of about 10 people. Last October, I traveled to Indiana to join Ted and his family, and many friends and coworkers, and walk with them to raise money for the ALS Association of Indiana. Our team, Ted’s Terminators, had nearly 100 walkers, and we raised more than $15,000 for the charity. By then, Ted had lost all use of his left leg and most of the use of his right, so he used a scooter to travel the three-mile route.
This year’s walk is on Sunday, October 3. Although I’ll be unable to walk with the team in Indiana this year, I have registered as a “virtual walker” in hopes of raising $500 again this year. I hope you’ll consider helping me reach my goal. You can contribute by clicking on this link, this link right here, or copying and pasting the following to your browser -- http://www.snipurl.com/alswalk and making a donation by credit card. Even a donation of $5 will help, and will be very appreciated.
Finally, if you are interested in making a contribution, but you would prefer to donate to a national charity, I hope that you will consider one of the following two:
Project ALS (http://www.projectals.org/) is dedicated to supporting research for a cure for ALS.
The ALS Division of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (http://als.mdausa.org/) provides health services and promotes research into ALS.
Because I live 2,000 miles away from my cousin, there isn’t much I can do to help him and his family cope with the challenges of this horrible disease. This is one way that I can help, and I really appreciate you helping me help Ted and his family and others like them. Thank you.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/dampscribbler/60351.html
http://dampscribbler.livejournal.com
ALS is somewhat rare, but chances are good that at some point in your life someone you know, a coworker or family member, a friend or business associate, will have this disease. It often begins as a weakness in the arms or legs. For my cousin, it started with a stiff leg, which coincidentally occurred after a minor skiing accident in early 2002. After weeks and then months of what seemed like a difficult recovery from an injury, Ted began a series of medical tests. In September, the diagnosis was ALS. In October 2002, Ted and his brother Dave and their families participated in their first ALS Walk fundraiser, a team of about 10 people. Last October, I traveled to Indiana to join Ted and his family, and many friends and coworkers, and walk with them to raise money for the ALS Association of Indiana. Our team, Ted’s Terminators, had nearly 100 walkers, and we raised more than $15,000 for the charity. By then, Ted had lost all use of his left leg and most of the use of his right, so he used a scooter to travel the three-mile route.
This year’s walk is on Sunday, October 3. Although I’ll be unable to walk with the team in Indiana this year, I have registered as a “virtual walker” in hopes of raising $500 again this year. I hope you’ll consider helping me reach my goal. You can contribute by clicking on this link, this link right here, or copying and pasting the following to your browser -- http://www.snipurl.com/alswalk and making a donation by credit card. Even a donation of $5 will help, and will be very appreciated.
Finally, if you are interested in making a contribution, but you would prefer to donate to a national charity, I hope that you will consider one of the following two:
Project ALS (http://www.projectals.org/) is dedicated to supporting research for a cure for ALS.
The ALS Division of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (http://als.mdausa.org/) provides health services and promotes research into ALS.
Because I live 2,000 miles away from my cousin, there isn’t much I can do to help him and his family cope with the challenges of this horrible disease. This is one way that I can help, and I really appreciate you helping me help Ted and his family and others like them. Thank you.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/dampscribbler/60351.html
http://dampscribbler.livejournal.com
