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.
When my daughter was 15 she started showing some strange symptoms...hand tremors and falling down. At the first big assembly of her sophomore year, Haley fell during a dance routine and we were sure something was not right. By November, Haley needed help walking down the hall and up and down stairs. By December, she was using a walker to get from class to class in her high school. By her 16th birthday, Haley traded in her goal for her own car for a wheelchair. And we still had no idea what was going on. After a significant amount of time and through a ton of tests, we still had no definitive answer...this pointed us toward ALS. To be diagnosed with ALS at any age is devastating, but to be diagnosed half way through your sophomore year in High School is incomprehensible. By the following spring, Haley was hospitalized because her diaphragm was failing and she required the assistance of a ventilator to breathe.
For the next year, Haley struggled with the loss of her identity as a dancer and her independence as her disease progressed. She fought hard to finish up her school career by attending classes two days a week and working the rest of the week at home with the help of volunteers. She graduated a year early. The best things her class gave her was they elected her Prom Queen!!
In September 2009, Haley lost her fight with ALS. She showed incredible dignity and bravery in her battle. It takes a very special person to motivate an entire community to stand up and do something to make a change for the better. ALS is a disease that effects the patient, the caregivers, and the community they live in.
We walk to raise money
We walk to make people aware of the disease
We walk for a cure
We walk because it makes a difference in lives of patients and caregivers
We walk for Haley's memory
We walk because we can.
JOIN Haley's Helpers by walking, raising money, and making a difference.
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.
