After nearly a year of searching for answers, George (my father-in-law) was diagnosed with ALS in March at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  It was devastating to our family.  What a terrible disease… and for someone so active and full of life.  George was the shortstop on his softball team, a regular tennis player and golfer, and exercised nearly every day.  Frankly, he was in better shape than me.

Many people may have heard about this disease because of the ice bucket challenge or because of Lou Gehrig, but they don’t know much about it.  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease that slowly robs a person of the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe. It can strike anyone and, although there has been a lot of advancements in ALS research, we still don’t know what causes it. An ALS diagnosis is fatal because there is no cure.

George has made sure that his doctors are aware that he wants to participate in all possible research studies to help by giving extra blood, skin, etc.  Many of you have asked me, Scott or Susan what can I do to help?  Here’s our answer.  Please participate in Walk ALS Georgia, which raises awareness and money to support Georgians living with ALS.

You may not know anyone with ALS, but you do know me, and I am asking for your support. Will you please consider joining me to make strides in the fight against ALS? You can join our virtual team by making a donation here to this group that has shown our family support in so many ways. With your help, we can enhance the lives of people like George that are living with ALS, every day until we find a cure.