This year marks year 8 of the ALS walk, fundraising and awareness for Mindy's Darlings. My sister and I started our team as a way to honor our mom and the ALS community by spreading awareness of this terminal disease. After 8 years, as with many diseases, there is still no cure but awareness continues to spread and I am still hopeful that research and fundraising is getting us closer to a cure. The fundraising from the past 8 years has brought 2 new drugs to treat/slow ALS symptoms as well as the possibility of immunotherapy treatments coming in the future.
My mom had an absolute obsession with Peter Pan. I remember how she would set up a picnic/slumber party in front of the tv when Dad was out of town for business and we would watch it together. She had every line of every version memorized. She called salt and pepper "fairy dust" and would make burned up, coffee stained treasure maps just like in the movie. She made life seem magical and I wish my kids could have experienced more of life with her. We formed our team, Mindy's Darlings, as a way to honor her and the amazing mom, grandmother and friend she was. Her favorite quote from the
movie happens when Peter Pan is teaching the Darlings how to fly and says, "Just think of the happiest things, it's the same as having
wings." This saying carried us all through her ALS journey.
Our mom, Mindy Davis, lost her short but difficult fight with ALS on April 25, 2016. She was 61 years old and perfectly healthy until she wasn't. It started with slurred speech and an atrophying tongue and progressed rapidly to difficulty swallowing, breathing and using her hands. For someone who had taken care of people her entire life--from her teen years of taking care of her mom to her nursing years to taking care of her kids to taking care of her aging parents and to caring for a sick husband--it was hard for her to lose her independence.
Please consider donating to this cause not only to honor our mom but also to help other patients and families affected by this disease. Donations from last year's Ice Bucket challenge already have impacted research and made huge breakthroughs and even though it is too late for these breakthroughs to help our mom, there are tons of other patients and families in the years to come that need your help.
Thank you for helping us reach our fund raising goal! Together we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Our team is committed to raising money to support people in our community with ALS and spread awareness of the urgency to find treatment and a cure. Please consider joining our team in the Walk to Defeat ALS® or choose a team member from the list and donate to our cause.
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.
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.