Family and Friends,

I have joined The ALS Association's Community of Hope by establishing a tribute fund to honor my brother in law Reid's battle against ALS!

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complicated disease. Although it was discovered by a French scientist over 140 years ago, little has changed to treat and cure it. Not many people know about ALS until it affects their lives. These factors play a significant role in our ability to create a world without ALS. But, we have hope.

ALS, known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive, neuromuscular disease that renders its victims unable to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe. In most cases, cognition remains intact, leaving the person battling ALS paralyzed inside his body. With no cure, medical professionals help to manage symptoms to improve quality of life for the person living with the disease and their family. On average, mortality occurs within five years of diagnosis, with only twenty percent of the people battling ALS living longer than five years, and ten percent living longer than ten years.

By joining the Community of Hope, our goal is to raise support for the work of The ALS Association, the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, global ALS research; providing the highest quality of care and services for people living with ALS and their families; and making ALS a national priority by bringing a variety of public policy initiatives to the forefront. Please learn more about our ALS connection and help us reach our goal by visiting our Community of Hope fundraising page today. Please scroll down for the "Click here to view my personal page" link at the bottom of this message. Your donation represents our chance to help other families and put and end to the destructive effects of ALS. Thank you for your support.

Natalie Belko.

P.S. -- You can monitor our fundraising progress and blog updates by visiting the page. There, you will see your name displayed on the donor scroll, track how much we have raised to date, and comment on the blog topics to stay involved!

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