Heather Smith

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My beautiful grandmother - Mary Lou Marslender

2019 Walk to Defeat ALS

$570.00

Raised

$1,000.00

Goal

Of Goal

Let's March for Mary Lou!

Event:	Triangle Walk
Date:	Saturday, June 26, 2021
Team:	Marchin' for Mary Lou

Hi Everyone! As many of you know, I started participating in the Walk to Defeat ALS event in 2017 as a way to honor my grandmother's memory and help raise money for research to combat this horrible disease.

2021 marks 20 years since my grandmother, Mary Lou Marslender, lost her battle with ALS. The fact that we still don't have a cure is frustrating, but LOTS of progress is being made. Since losing my grandmother to ALS, I have seen many other friends and family members lose loved ones to this disease as well.

This year's platform, like last year's, will be a "Walk Your Way" event, meaning instead of gathering in downtown Raleigh, we will create our own personal walks. For our walk, we will meet at Main Street Park in Rolesville as they have great shaded trails and a fun playground and shelter for after. We can plan to have lunch together at the shelter once we finish our walk.

If you can't join us in person, PLEASE help us fundraise. With this being the 20th anniversary of my grandmother's passing, I'd really love to see a substantial increase in funds raised and have set a lofty goal of $2,000! I know we can do it!

Why We Need Your Help

Often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries.

This crippling disease can strike anyone. Presently there is no known cause of the disease though support is bringing researchers closer to an answer. In the mean time it costs an average of $200,000 a year to provide the care ALS patients need. Help make a difference and donate or join a walk today.