Thank you for helping me reach our Walk to Defeat ALS® 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.
Please consider walking with us or sponsoring our team. With your help, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of people affected by ALS. I encourage you to get your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers involved! My husband, Howard Mont, died of ALS on September 7, 2013. My family and friends will be walking in Memory of Howard (Howie) on October 3rd this year.
Howard was a loving father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend and to me a wonderful loving husband. He has now become a great grandfather as well as has another granddaughter who has just gotten married. He would be beaming and so very happy for both of his granddaughters, and their families. He would also be very proud of his grandson Jacob who is studying in Japan and doing an internship there during the summer. He would be proud to see how his other grandsons have become successful in their own endeavors as well. We all miss and love Howard. There is a great void in our lives without him. He was a creative force and had a wonderful sense of humor and spirit. This Walk would make him so very proud to know that he is being remembered in this very special way. Each year we participate in this WALK to remember his incredible spirit as well as to walk for those who are now fighting this disease. So, we raise our glasses and toast to Howard (Howie) with of course his famous "MONTINI!"
Why We Need Your Help
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. Howard only lived two years with this disease.
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 though support is bringing researchers closer to an answer. In the mean time it costs 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. My best to you all, Betsy (Betsy Lichtschein Mont)