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Saturday, August 30, 2014

"Fund Raising for ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)




Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst New York and has worked in
the ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years.


Fund Raising for ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease

ALS has been around for many many years, ever since the baseball star passed away for the disease.   It is recently that there has become a new awareness of this terrible debilitating disease for which there is no cure still.  

Whoever came up with the “ice bucket” challenge is genius. This challenge to dump ice water  on ourselves and donate,  is sweeping the entire world.  It has become an international challenge and has raised over 40 million dollars for the cause in a very short time.  

My son and daughter in law just did their challenge recently. The reason for ice water dumping is to replicate the feeling of pain in the body nerves that the water causes and inform people what it feels like to get this disease.

I lost a friend and colleague to this disease a few years ago. It is a most debilitating and sad disease that can take a life swiftly in a few years as it progresses quickly.  With no treatment or cure, it is a death sentence in most cases, first the speech is affected and movement and nerves follow,  until the person is left in a wheelchair unable to move, function  or communicate.  

It seems to affect those in the 40-50 age group and is extremely sad to stand by and watch helplessly.  I pray that this ice bucket challenge continues to raise money for research and treatment options that need  to be discovered.

There are so many causes out there to donate to; cancer, Alzheimer’s, M.S.; hopefully some day there will be treatments to be discovered, maybe not in my lifetime, but someday.

I remember when the first Polio vaccine came out and trying the first oral immunization I received at a very young age. Who would have ever thought a treatment would be discovered.  

Kudos go out to those bright and progressive minds that spend a lifetime in search for disease treatments and cures.  Your research and perseverance does not go unnoticed and our civilization and civilizations to come will be forever in your  debt.   


P.S.
Check out this YouTube of ice bucket challenge bloopers;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQlvW0aFnKo

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