In my position as the Complex Rehabilitation Sales & Marketing Rep for Blackburn's I have seen first-hand how a charitable organization can step in and take so many burdens away from a family dealing with so much! Imagine waking up just like it was any other day, you feed your kid's breakfast, get them ready for school and then drive yourself to work but this day you realize, you're having an issue holding onto the steering wheel or getting your child out of the car seat. After going through the rounds of Doctor visits and tests, you receive unimaginable, life shattering news. You have ALS. From this day forward you have an extremely limited, finite window to accomplish everything you can before each part of you breaks down, you want to hold on to your kids as long as possible knowing you will not be able to hold their hand in the coming months, you eat as many of your favorite dinners knowing you will no longer have the ability to swallow, and you jump into the ocean one last time because soon, you will not be able to make it to the beach. There's so much you want and need to do but you can't because you have to prepare for what's coming, you have to spend your immediate time meeting with multiple doctors, therapist, lawyers, home medical equipment suppliers, and insurance reps, preparing for end of days instead of living your life to the fullest right away. Fortunately, there is the ALSA. From funding research and drug development on a national level to multidisciplinary clinics, support groups, home accessibility, and mobility loan closets on a local one. ALSA supports everyone diagnosed with this terrible disease and their family and caretakers. They can't take away the disease(yet), but they can give them time! The hundreds of hours of trying to figure everything out for themselves is given back to them to spend with their loved ones. That is the most precious item in the world when you know you have such little left.
As with any Organization like this, they can only do it with the support and generosity of the community. This year, I will have the honor of taking part in the ALS CEO Soak at PPG Fountain. Please support my trip into the fountain by clicking the link below to donate. I'll take the freezing plunge, you all stay dry at home but lighten up those wallets for a truly one-of-a-kind Organization, The ALS Association.
http://webwpawv.alsa.org/goto/ericturbaczewski
Thank you so much for your consideration and generosity!
Prefer to make a donation by check? Click here for a printable donation form!