We had the privilege of awarding the first Harrison Brown Volunteer of the Year award to Whitney Sadler at the 2017 Austin Walk to Defeat ALS.
The award honors the late Harrison Brown who lost his life in the stabbing at the University of Texas in May 2017.
Tom Frugé was diagnosed with ALS in May 2017 and attended the Fort Worth Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday, November 4, 2017. His Walk team, Team Tom, is the top fundraising team in Texas in 2017, raising over $40,000. Read about his experience at the Walk.
We are pleased to announce the addition of a fifth ALS multidisciplinary clinic in Texas. The Rio Grande Valley clinic opened on Friday, October 27 at Doctor’s Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg, Texas. Headed by neurologist Zuka A. Khabbazeh, MD, the team met with and treated five patients on opening day.
After 46 years of teaching, Lois Albright retired, and she and her husband moved from their home in Brenham, Texas to Austin to be closer to family. Her daughters had been encouraging her to retire for many years, but she loved to teach.
“People who retire just get sick or have bad things happen to them,” Lois would say in response.
Just a few months after she retired, Lois was diagnosed with ALS in February 2017 – on Valentine’s Day.
Who would’ve thought?
ALS Texas commits to helping patients through recovery process
I’ve driven down I-45 toward Houston countless times, but this time was different.
Instead of normal business traffic, I was surrounded by trucks filled with bottled water, construction material, and other basic necessities. Pulling a load of supplies and medical equipment behind me too, I felt uneasy about what I would face when I crossed into Houston.
When I finally did so, one of the first things I noticed was that the devastation was different from block to block. We crossed one debris-lined street only to come upon another that displayed life as normal – houses untouched by the storm and people eating on patios outside of restaurants.
As Hurricane Harvey continues to affect people with ALS, their families, our staff, and our board members in Houston and the surrounding areas, we want to keep you informed of our efforts to serve them in this critical time. This disaster is likely to have a prolonged impact on the area, so we will continue to assess the unique needs and address them accordingly.
At this time, we are providing emergency financial assistance to people with ALS who are forced to evacuate their homes for safer accommodations. We strongly recommend that people with ALS do not flee to shelters, as health risks are heightened significantly in that setting. We are prepared to provide financial assistance for hotel accommodations and other safer settings. We are also in contact with FEMA and the American Red Cross to ensure that people with ALS are adequately cared for according to their unique needs.
As the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey continue to unfold, the ALS Association of Texas is working diligently to assess the well-being and needs of ALS patients and their families in the affected areas. This is our first priority – to ensure that our patients are safe and secure and that they can continue to focus on their health with as little disruption as possible.
This unprecedented disaster is likely to have a prolonged impact on those living with ALS and their families. And while the full impact can’t be known just yet, we are providing emergency financial assistance to those forced to evacuate their homes for safer accommodations. And we’ll continue to address these unique needs as they arise. If you or your family are in need of financial assistance, please contact us at info@alstexas.org.
Below is a list of resources for people with ALS and their families who are affected by Hurricane Harvey. Please contact us with any additional questions you may have.
Three days before Christmas 2009, Turner Corbett’s family got the devastating news that his mom, Jennifer, had been diagnosed with ALS. Turner was just 12 years old.
Wanting to make the most of a difficult situation, in 2015, Turner created a benefit event that would raise money for ALS research. After running through some ideas with his friend Alex Doswell, they decided a dodgeball tournament would be the most fun and family friendly.
In April, golf enthusiasts gathered for an afternoon round in support of the fight against ALS. More than 130 golfers participated in the 3rd Annual Under Ballou Skies Golf Classic followed by a dinner reception and silent auction.
The golf classic began in 2015 after an ALS Texas board meeting in which members were asked what they enjoyed doing that could become a fundraiser. Board member Bob Ballou thought to himself that he enjoyed golf and that he likes to get his friends together to play. Thus, the tournament began. When Bob saw that no income was budgeted for the first tournament in 2015, and he threw down a dollar and said “Look, we’ve already beat the budget!” He was determined to start the tournament off right, raising significant funds for the fight against ALS. That year, the tournament raised $15,000.
There are many ways, both big and small, to raise ALS awareness. Some people have used their filmmaking or public speaking talents to craft compelling stories of those living with this disease. From TED talks to award-winning documentaries, these videos inspire, educate, challenge and entertain viewers, while celebrating the lives of people with ALS and the contributions they have made.
Below are a few must see videos and films about ALS that are worth watching and sharing with family and friends.
