On September 20th, 2025  I am joining the movement to cure ALS by participating in WalkALS Georgia. I have my heart set on raising at least $1000 this year because I’m trying to do everything I can to make an impact on this disease. This year, August 27th marks 18 years since we lost my dad to this devastating disease. 

My dad was diagnosed with ALS when I was in kindergarten. It started off as little things: he would trip often and started falling down stairs. When my mom took him to the doctor, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease). The prognosis was grim- most patients live an average of 2-5 years after diagnosis. My dad was going to be gone before I even got to middle school. ALS is an aggressive, degenerative neurological disorder that slowly robs its victims of motor function and independence. Every day was a struggle for my dad and my family.  We worried that one of his many machines might not work, and some of those machines were the only things keeping him alive.  Our house was simply full of machines, machines, and more machines.  He had a simple wheelchair that my mom pushed him in to go to the bathroom, and a more complex wheelchair for getting around.  Dad had a breathing machine that he had to wear at all times, and it "lived" on a tray next to where he was stuck in bed.  He had a stair lift that he used to go up and down stairs, and a computer that he controlled with his eyes so that he could work and communicate with us.  In the last year, he could barely get out of bed.  He couldn't eat, so he had a feeding tube in his stomach. He couldn't breathe on his own, so his breathing machine was necessary to keep him alive.  My dad needed help to sit up, go to the restroom, take a shower, shave, brush his teeth, move his hands, and roll over.  The simplest things were impossible for him. His condition only got worse, and he passed away on August 27, 2007. I was only 10.

I do not want anybody else to go through what I had to go through.  I want to do everything I can to help fight this disease and the toll it takes on patients and families. Raising money for ALS United of Georgia (formerly the ALS Association of Georgia) can help these patients and their families so much. Being involved with this wonderful organization is something my family and I do every year, and the money I have raised will help other families get the same treatment and support my dad got.  I love my dad, and I am thankful for everything he taught me.  Watching him fight his battle so courageously has made me into the caring and compassionate person that I am today. I know first-hand what ALS can do, and ALS United of Georgia (previously the ALS Association of Georgia) has helped my family so much.  They were the ones that gave us the motorized wheelchair and the stair lift.  They were the ones that gave us the computer that he operated with his eyes so he could communicate with us when he could no longer speak.  They were the ones that gave us the machines to make a difficult time just a little bit easier.  Speaking from experience, your donation can really make a difference.  Thank you so much for your help and support.

Here are some sobering facts: ALS strikes without discrimination and there is no known cause or cure. More than 20,000 people across the country are diagnosed with this disease that slowly robs their body of the ability to move and even breathe, but they aren’t the only ones affected – their families are, too. Costs to families living with ALS are can be an ASTOUNDING $250,000+ a year -- which is why the money raised through the Walk is so crucial.

That's why I’m walking – for those who can’t. Please make a donation today and support my efforts to make a difference for people living with this disease.
Any amount is greatly appreciated and will have an impact on those living with ALS.

Together, we can create a world without ALS.