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Brad & Suzanne Bennett, Event Co-Chairpersons
A little over four years ago, I was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease). I had been experiencing weakness in my right leg for over two years and I was unable to walk without the aid of a cane. I still recall vividly how devastated Suzanne and I were when I received this terrible diagnosis. We were told that my prognosis was 2-4 years and that there was no treatment or cure for this disease. The disease would attack the voluntary muscles of my entire body. I would entually lose the ability to walk, lose the use of my arms and hands, and finally lose the ability to eat, talk, or breathe. I was completely overwhelmed when I received the news. My first inclination was to cry, my second thought was that my life as I knew it was over. Nearly 40,000 people in the U.S. and approximately one million around the world are fighting ALS right now. Roughly 200 in the U.S. will die today.
Four years later, I am still alive and living with this disease. At this time, I am a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair, have a feeding tube and need the assistance of an external ventilator 24 hours a day. I require 24-hour care but I am lucky in the sense that I can still communicate through the mask that I wear for the ventilator. During the past 4 years, I have spent most of my time in the company of family and friends. I feel truly blessed to be loved and cared for by so many people.
In November of 2006, I met an amazing man named Augie Nieto, who also has ALS and now serves as the national spokesperson for the Muscular Dystrophy Assocation's ALS Division. Augie has also committed personally to raise funds in support of an aggressive research program focused on finding the causes, treatments, and cures for this disease. He and the MDA have made a combined commitment of $12 million in each of the next three years, with an ultimate goal of increasing funding to $20 million annually. His work to put an end to this terrible disease is now known as Augie's Quest. All of the funds raised by Augie's Quest go directly pay for research conducted at ALS Therapy Development Institute. ALS TDI is a non-profit research facility that is dedicated to finding a treatment for ALS. His efforts are already paying off, as ALS TDI has found a drug in 2009 that has slowed progression in the ALS mouse-model. This drug has already gotten FDA approval and will soon be available for clinical trials.
Suzanne and I and our family and friends have joined hands with MDA and Augie's Quest to raise money for ALS research. Our 4 th annual St. Patrick's Day Bash will be held March 13 th at the Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver starting at 5:30 p.m. Our goal in 2010 is to raise $500,000 for research to facilitate this drug into clinical trials.
Every dollar we raise at the Bash will go directly to ALD TDI for research, with no overhead expenses for fund raising efforts being attached, other than the cost of the event. The money we raise will augment the funds that the MDA has already committed to ALS TDI. I hope that you consider becoming a sponsor and joining us on March 13th! My family and I, and thousands of others who are praying for a cure, will be eternally grateful. I hope to hear from you soon, and thank you so much for your friendship and support. |
