On December 3rd I received an email from my very good friend Alison Rosenbaum. She wanted to know if I would be interested in running the Boston Marathon to raise money for ALS research. I responded almost immediately. Not only was I interested, I told her, I would be honored to represent her parents' foundation ALS Raising Hope. I submitted an application to the UMass ALS Champion Fund for a bib to run in the 2012 Boston Marathon with a goal of raising $7,500 for ALS research and received notification of acceptance from Katie Friend just a few days ago.
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a degenerative neurological disease which targets the motor neurons and results in progressive paralysis. Alison's father was diagnosed with ALS after noticing symptoms of decreased coordination over the course of a year. After learning more about ALS, Alison's father Roger and her mother Darlene discovered that the disease is not widely known and that there is little funding for research into the disease. In an effort to increase awareness about ALS and raise funding for research, they started a foundation called ALS Raising Hope.
To learn more about ALS please visit the ALS association website: http://www.alsa.org/
To learn more about local ALS Raising Hope please join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/235206376508203/
