My Nana was my best friend, my confidant and just an all around amazing person. During Easter 2006 she was having some issues with her speech; we even went as far as to ask if she had anything to drink (you never know with the Irish!). When she was still slurring the next day, we knew something was wrong. We thought, for sure, that she had a stroke. We had her head checked, her heart checked, and her lungs checked; all were in great shape.
After weeks of seeing multiple specialists, we were sitting in the neurologist's office hoping that, with the last test, they found the cause. The neurologist started flipping through the pages of the test telling us how everything looked good, until she got to the last page. She said to us, as if she was diagnosing her with a cold, "They think you have Lou Gehrig's disease." We looked at each other almost to say, "Shouldn't this be a bigger deal?" Little did we know the awful journey that we had just begun.
Often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis. Nana didn't make it to two years; she lost her battle in October 2007.
Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries. This crippling disease can strike anyone. Presently there is no known cause of the disease yet it still costs loved ones an average of $200,000 a year to provide the care ALS patients need. Help make a difference and donate or join a walk today.
Thank you for helping me reach my Walk to Defeat ALS(TM) fundraising goal! This is an exciting opportunity for us to work together to support those affected by Lou Gehrig's Disease and to spread awareness of the urgency to find treatments and a cure.
I encourage you get your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers involved!
