BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — This weekend you can help a member of our community who is living with a life-changing disease just by grabbing ice cream.
The owner of Great Lakes Station Ice Cream on Commerce Parkway in West Seneca holds a fundraiser every year in honor of her father who died of ALS.
Last year and this year, proceeds have gone to Kristin Goetz, who was diagnosed with the disease at 37 years old. There's no cure for ALS, and the disease continues to progress each year. Kristin was walking a few years ago, now she relies on a wheelchair to get around and needs 24/7 care.
The money raised this weekend will help pay for her care and also help her make a trip to Florida this winter. She says the cold Buffalo temperatures can be really hard on her body, and there are also places in Miami that offer alternative treatment, which she's hoping she might be able to take advantage of.
Above all, she says she has one important goal.
"My hope this year is to keep fighting. I'm not going to give up hope," said Kristin. "I'm going to continue to try alternative treatment. I would like to get down to Florida to continue living my life. I don't want to be stagnant and stuck here. I want to make the most of it."
The fundraiser runs from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday at Great Lakes Station Ice Cream on Commerce Parkway.
If you can't make it, you can also donate to Kristin's GoFundMe.
