My mom Penny Herrera was diagnosed on August 5, 2013 with ALS and on January 2, 2018 she gained her wings. I will always remember the day after my parents had told us about her diagnosis, we were driving around and my mom sees a sign and reads it to me,"Don't talk about what we can't do but what we can do." My mom's spirit during her entire time with ALS was that exactly. She always greeted everyone with the biggest smile. Even though I was the least qualified to take care of my mom she never made me feel that way. With all the oops and the uh ohs we had, she would just laugh and I couldn't help but do the same. Her smile and laugh made everything 100 times easier. The entire 28 years of my life I have never seen anyone with the amount of courage and strength that my mom carried both physically and emotionally.

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 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.

If you think this page contains objectionable content, please inform the system administrator.