do something good
As many of you know, I have a parent who is fighting a battle with ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease, and those who live with the disease become progressively paralyzed due to degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons in brain and spinal cord. Most ALS patients die within 2-5 years of their diagnosis, unable to breathe or swallow.There is currently no cure or effective treatment for ALS. For every person diagnosed with ALS a person with ALS dies. There are currently 2500 to 3500 people estimated to be living with ALS in Canada right now.
Throughout my life, I have been asked to donate to many causes. Yesterday I was asked to donate to prostate cancer research at my local grocery store, when it hit me that never before in my life have any of these causes hit as close to home as ALS has. I believe that I have a responsibility to my loved ones to help spread the word about ALS and the need for research funding to develop viable treatments or even moreso, a cure.
The ALS Society of Canada contains a lot of comprehensive information on the disease, as well as a donation page for those who want to help. If you are living in the US, the ALS Association also contains a great deal of valuable educational material, as well as a donation page. I know there are so many causes out there, and they are all incredibly important in their own way, but this is something that means a lot to me.