On Sunday, October 6th, my family and I will be participating in our 19th Walk to Defeat ALS. This is my 12th year working for the chapter. It has been so rewarding to see how the money raised helps local families struggling with ALS with equipment from our loan closet, monthly support groups, physician referrals, resource guidance, and advocacy & public policy efforts both locally and nationally.

Every 90 minutes, someone new in the US receives the dreadful diagnosis of ALS. For most patients, the first symptoms are innocent enough: muscle twitches or weakness in a hand, arm or leg, or shortness of breath, or slurred speech. Diagnosis is tricky because there is no blood test or digital scan to help clinicians identify the problem. Because there is no known treatment or cure for ALS, being told you have this disease is a one-way ticket of nightmarish proportions. About half of people with ALS die within two years, and 90% are gone within five years.

You might ask, “but what about the 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? Didn't it raise a ton of money?” By some measures, its impact was huge. It brought ALS out of the shadows, and it did raise over $200 million worldwide. Unfortunately, medical research for a disease as complicated as ALS is astoundingly expensive: the cost of bringing just one new drug to market is $2 billion or more. Yes, that is billion with a “b.” In other words, the fight is far from over.

The Walk to Defeat ALS is both a fundraiser and an ongoing awareness campaign. You can help in two ways: you can be a walker, or you can make a gift of any amount to support a walker. For more information, go to
http://webgsd.alsa.org/goto/casey-crew

This year's walk is Sunday morning, October 6th. Please join us and enjoy a three-mile level walk along the shore of Mission Bay. We would truly love to have you walk with us. Everyone who raises at least $90 gets a T-shirt.

Thank you so much in advance!!!

With love,
LeeAnn