Walk to D'feet ALS: Fundraising

My family and I are traveling to Atlanta, GA the first weekend in November for Walk to D'feet ALS. We are raising funds to find a cure for ALS and spreading awareness to educate more people about the horrible disease.

From the ALS website:

Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, cases of the disease do occur in persons in their twenties and thirties. Generally though, ALS occurs in greater percentages as men and women grow older. ALS is 20% more common in men than in women. However with increasing age, the incidence of ALS is more equal between men and women.

One of my best friends from high school, Kimberly Kim, was diagnosed just two years ago, at age 30. In her own words:

The prognosis is absolutely horrifying to me. ALS causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting to the point where many become a virtual quadriplegic. Your mind is not affected, but your body simply refuses to function. Average life expectancy after diagnosis is 2-7 years. There is the rare case where a reversal or halting of symptoms is seen, but this is not common.

October 2007, Kim attended a gala for ALS. Here is her recorded segment.

Many, many thanks to those of you that have already donated to this cause! Words cannot express how grateful I am. However, I am still a little more than $900 shy of my $1500 goal. Please help me reach my goal by donating a few dollars. You can do so on my secure personal page here.

If you would like to raise funds, too, you can find a walk in your area here.

Thanks again for all your support and for taking the time to educate yourself about ALS!

Hugs!