This Saturday, The ALS Association is having their annual walk. This walk is a major fundraiser that helps pay for the care of local patients diagnosed with ALS.
Kristin Schneider and Julie Garland from the ALS Association Upstate New York Chapter joined us to tell us more.
ALS is a neuro muscular degenerative disease. Julie Garland, the ALS Association Upstate New York Chapter says, “It can affect your limbs, the ability to use your hands, your legs, your ability to speak and swallow. Basically, she says, the message is that the nerves getting from the brain start to die off and progressively get worse and worse and patients do lose function and it is a 100% terminal illness.” She goes on to say there are a couple of treatments right now but not a whole lot that can be done so we come into support patients and families through this.
The ALS walk is a fundraiser to raise money for support services. Kristin Schneider says, “Within our chapter we have the opportunity from our walks and our fundraising to give program and services to those who are registered with us. Those are things like support groups. We have durable medical loan closets regionally across the state. We have two grant programs that are available to our patients quarterly. There is a general ALS grant and then a caregiver respite grant because I’m sure as you can imagine being a caregiver for someone with ALS is extremely difficult. ALS affects the whole family, not just the person who has it.”
The ALS walk is this Saturday, August 6th at Delaware Park. The registration starts at 9:30am and the walk is at 11am. Kristin says parking is available thanks to their friends at Nichols School.
For more information visit web.alsa.org/buffalo
