ALS Texas

Patricia’s Story: Give Courage

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Patricia is the captain of her life and her ALS diagnosis, but she didn’t always feel that way. She, like many others with the disease, took time to accept her diagnosis, acknowledge how her life would change, and how her son and husband would be affected.

Walking through the door of her first ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic was a hard step to take—she even tried to leave. Her husband Oran shared that once she was able to accept her diagnosis, Patricia found her courage.

Today, Patricia and Oran are advocates for the ALS community. She and her husband attended the ALS Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. in 2018, where they met with members of Congress to advocate for patient rights and research funding.

Patricia and Oran have hope for the future. They’ve worked closely with the ALS Association of Texas, finding the resources and support needed, and knowing that they are never alone on this journey. “They’ve helped me a lot… they’re always there,” Patricia says.

Because of you, they have hope for a world without ALS.

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John’s Story: Give Joy

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Gratitude is what guides John and Jill Lay’s life. Everything from the life they’ve built together and their children and grandchildren, to the simpler things like University of Texas football games and sunsets on the farm bring them joy.

When John received the devastating diagnosis of ALS in 2019, he didn’t let that steal his joy. Instead, he and Jill started searching for resources. That’s when they discovered the ALS Association of Texas and the ALS community that would help them through this journey. It has been an uplifting experience for them to join a community of other families living with ALS, while collecting knowledge and receiving support.

John and Jill continue to live their lives to the fullest, despite the challenges of ALS. In fact, John declared the year of his diagnosis the best year of his life. “It might sound strange, but I am grateful,” he shared, “I’ve had the opportunity to see my children grow up, my family is healthy and happy, and I have the support of an incredible community.”

As the disease progresses and John continues to experience symptoms, he and Jill find comfort knowing they are not alone on this journey and that they can reach out to the team at ALS Association of Texas anytime for guidance and resources.  ALS Texas provides crucial programs to them and others on the ALS journey.

“That is the reason I am so excited to support ALS Texas – for what they do to help people on this journey with this disease,” John shared.

Although a cure may not be available for John in his lifetime, he and Jill are hopeful that in the future, there will be a cure for others diagnosed with ALS. In the meantime, John and Jill continue to live every day with gratitude and joy.

Because of you they have hope for a world without ALS.

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Young Caregivers in Texas Aren’t Alone

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It’s nearing the holiday season, and that means it’s time to focus on family and quality time. Especially during this time, it’s important to appreciate the dedicated caregivers working tirelessly for their family. We must never underestimate the strength that caregivers have for providing support to those who need it most, nor the toll that it takes upon them both emotionally and physically.

This National Family Caregivers Month, the ALS Association of Texas is recognizing, supporting and empowering family caregivers. In this third and final installment to our caregiver series, let’s dive into a caregiver perspective that’s frequently overlooked.

We mostly hear of advanced illnesses throwing spouses and life partners into the primary caregiver role for their loved ones. However, we rarely acknowledge the many young adults, youth and children that are providing care for a parent.

Approximately 1.4 million children and youth from ages 8 to 18 in the U.S. are familiar caregivers of a family member. They support both activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). This includes managing complex assistive devices, feeding, bathing and toileting, among other activities.

In Texas, we know that there are more than 2,500 youth and children involved in the ALS experience.

The ALS Association of Texas worked last year developing educational resources and programming for young caregivers involved in the ALS journey. During this process, a phenomenal group of young leaders emerged, and just like ALS, they don’t stop. Abby Estrada, LCSW, Jothi Gupta, Connor Hadley and Gabriel Poveda all know first-hand what it’s like caring for a loved one with ALS, specifically their fathers. Keep reading to hear more about their stories:

Abby Estrada, LCSW

Abby Estrada’s father was received his ALS diagnosis while she was in high school. She helped provide much of his care until he passed away while she was in college. Abby took her experience and passion for helping others into her career as a licensed clinical social worker in Texas. Abby heavily involves herself in our fAmiLy talkS workshops and is looking forward to also being a therapeutic resource for our ALS Texas community as a LCSW.

When it comes to those difficult but crucial talks about ALS, Abby shared, “Keep the conversation ongoing with your children. Check in with them, especially at times when ALS progresses and your ‘new normal’ is changing. Listen—perhaps the best thing you can do is be there and listen. Your children may be angry, confused or sad. Hear them and allow them their feelings.”

Jothi Gupta

17-year-old Jothi Gupta launched the It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: A Closer Look at Family Illness and How to Navigate It podcast earlier this year. Perseverance is also way of life for her family, who as a whole, has shared their poignant journey with ALS with our community. Jothi is also the editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, a leader on her school’s debate team, and co-founder (along with her sister) of the RG Foundation for ALS Awareness.

“This is such a painful disease to watch slowly take my Dad away and we want to do everything in our power to fight back,” she shared. Jothi also noted that she is passionate about resiliency and is looking forward to connecting with and supporting other teen caregivers in Texas.

Connor Hadley

Connor Hadley was a pre-teen when his Dad, Collin, was diagnosed with ALS. He since has watched ALS progress and rob his Dad of so much. Now at the age of 17, virtually every day brings a new normal.

The Hadley family believes in making each day count.  Connor just attended his last youth church camp and loves playing football. He still puts his experience as young caregiver into action. Connor  believes he has a gift of helping people do the right thing and wants to support youth and children in Texas. He added that while he is a teenager knocking on the door of adulthood, he was much younger when his Dad was first diagnosed with ALS, and he believes he can really relate to that age group.

Gabriel Poveda

Gabriel Poveda is wise beyond his 20 years and has likely experienced more than just about anyone in his sophomore class at UT Austin.  This year’s National Family Caregivers month theme is Caregiving Around the Clock, and Gabriel can certainly attest to this being true.

“My Dad was diagnosed November 14, 2017. I had just turned 17 as well. From 2017 to August of 2019, I was very involved in my father’s day-to-day caregiving,.” Gabriel Shared. At the time, he was still in high school. “I had to make sure that I got home on time so I could give him is IsoSource feedings. I had early release at school, and got home around 1:00, and would stay with my Dad until about 6:00pm when my Mom got home from work, and then she would take over.”

Young caregivers experience an impact on their friendships, relationships, clubs, etc., Gabriel added, “You forget about a lot of things; emotions foremost among them, but also other relationships, and other bits of everyday life that you previously thought were important.”

Gabriel learned about a student-led program at UT Austin which pairs young people with senior citizens for weekly/bi-weekly chats. “It’s an inspiring group of my peers and it got me thinking: why not for ALS? It would require, time, money, and most importantly people, but I believe it is plausible.”

So what’s next for young caregivers?

We’re taking Gabriel’s feedback to heart! In January 2021, ALS Texas will launch online peer support groups for young caregivers involved in the ALS journey. The inspiring young people above will co-facilitate this group, continuing to change the world one day at a time. Each of them want to connect with other young people who feels isolated and alone. Young caregivers in Texas aren’t alone.

Gabriel extends this invitation to all of our ALS Texas young caregivers, “I encourage you to reach out… we’re starting online peer support groups in January, and we’d like for you to be a part of it.”

Wife, Partner, and Caregiver – The Balancing Act

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The ALS Association of Texas is dedicated to recognizing, empowering, and supporting family caregivers throughout Texas. Our hope is to share the different perspectives of the ALS experience and walk alongside every family member throughout the journey—the journey that is a marathon and not a sprint.

Did you know that in the United States, about one in 10 caregivers are providing care for their spouse? Stamina and success as a spousal caregiver mean knowing when to ask for help, finding time for yourself, and making peace with your partner. Now you have all the answers. That’s the end of this story, right? Not. Even. Close. All of the things mentioned above are so much easier said than done.

“Many people will say that they will do as much as they can until they can’t anymore, and that’s not good for anyone,” says Dr. Jacobs, author of Meditations for Caregivers: Practical, Emotional, and Spiritual Support for You and Your Family. Friends and other family members are often more willing to help than you think, so don’t steal their chance to be a blessing! (Know when to ask for help)

In visiting with families throughout the state, I’ve asked many wives this question. “What do you need most that ALS Texas is not currently providing?” More times than I can count, the answer has been, “What I need, you can’t help with. I am no longer a wife; I’m a caregiver, and you can’t fix that.” While it’s true that ALS Texas can’t change that, we can help provide more education, programming and support on how to take control of that balancing act and not lose what you value most in your marriage.

That ultimately starts with MAKING time for self-care! Start with just five minutes a day and add a minute or two as you can; even if you have to go into a closet to breathe deeply, read, meditate, and have some alone time, those few minutes can make a huge difference. One of the best pieces of feedback I’ve heard from a wife/caregiver is, “He can be very dependent on me, but I tell him that I need some uninterrupted time for myself.” (Finding time for yourself)

The Gupta Family

In September, we were honored to join the Gupta family from Plano, TX as they invited our ALS Texas community to walk alongside them in their genuine and very poignant journey with ALS. During the Gupta’s Family Talks special event, we listened as Hema Gupta emotionally shared, “I went from being a wife…to a caretaker. I think I….I honestly don’t think about any of that stuff, because it’s too hard, and I refuse, I refuse to let to let this…ALS, be the defining of the family.”

In her recent column We Are Both Patients, Kristen Neva shared, “I never imagined I would be providing this type of care for my middle-aged husband.” She adds that caregiving for her husband who has ALS, is stressful for them both, but their strong relationship helps them through the tough times.

“Spouses need to pause and recognize that their marriage has changed completely and may never return to the way it was,” says Dr. Denholm, PhD, a psychologist in West Palm Beach, FL, and author of The Caregiving Wife’s Handbook. “If the sick spouse is still able to communicate, I always recommend that couples talk about the changing relationship openly and honestly, and as soon after it starts changing as possible.” (Making peace with your partner)

As a caregiver, do you and your loved one living with ALS have an agreed-upon signal to let each other know it’s time for you to take a break? Many spouse caregivers struggle with the “G” word – guilt – and on a daily basis; they feel guilty for doing too little or too much. It shouldn’t be wrong to say, “I am your wife, above all, and not only a caregiver now.” Many spouse caregivers throw themselves into their new role so wholeheartedly that they neglect their own care or forget to consider how their spouse might be able to contribute.

Cultivate healthy communication as a practice. Being able to talk to your spouse candidly is important for every marriage, but it’s especially crucial for couples in which one person is taking care of the other. You may need to have delicate or difficult conversations about everything from toileting to the changing nature of your intimacy; the key is to not avoid those conversations. After all, caregiving is a partnership between the giver of care and the receiver of care. In practicing good communication as a husband and wife, you continue to focus on the art of adaptability. Experiment, think outside the box, and be creative in adapting to new normals – bring sexy back!

Knowing when to ask for help, finding time for yourself, and making peace with your partner are some of the biggest secrets to success in the balancing act of the wife, partner, and caregiver marathon. If you’re looking for ways to build these practices into your family’s ALS journey, our ALS Texas Caregiver Groups are a tremendous resource for spousal caregivers. We even offer a dedicated group for women, Brewed Awakenings.

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Trimming the Fat: A Husband’s Perspective on Caregiving

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While Tyler Wood may not like being in the spotlight and does not consider himself a leader, the way that he cares for his family and for others (and even for himself), shines a much different light.  Leaders are oftentimes not specifically chosen for the role, rather it finds them, and they either sink or swim.  Family Caregiver Tyler Wood has chosen to swim in all of the uncharted waters and realizes that not only is life (especially life as a caregiver), a triathlon, but it is also a team sport. In sharing his journey, he hopes to “lift others up and support, and hopefully help them out by sharing my story; giving them tips and tricks that I use” as a caregiver.

Tyler is husband to his beautiful wife, Mylinda, and they recently celebrated their 23rd anniversary. He is also father to three boys; ages 17, 13, and 10. Their 10 year-old son has special needs and is living with Down Syndrome. Tyler also works full-time at a wonderfully supportive architectural firm, and enjoys smoking and curing meats, and making knives – both as hobbies and side businesses.  Tyler is also the family caregiver to Mylinda who was diagnosed with ALS in 2018.

November 2020 is National Family Caregiver Month, and the theme for this year’s focused and intentional appreciation and dedication to family caregivers around the nation is Caregiving Around the Clock.  If you ask Tyler about the 24/7, 365 days a year commitment of a family caregiver, he sums it up perfectly:

“It’s about trimming the fat, really, and figuring out what’s important stuff…but with self-care, you have to make sure that you’re not trimming all of your stuff out. You have to give yourself time, and that’s part of the care of your spouse – is caring for yourself. Because when you take care of them, you give out of yourself, and it’s a bucket of water.  Every time you pour out of yourself a little bit, there’s less in that bucket. When that bucket is dry, you’re not going to be of use to yourself or your spouse. It’s every minute of every day, because you’re not just caring for your spouse in that daily care, you’re caring for yourself so you can continue to care for your spouse.”

You can’t punch a clock to the end the day when you are a family caregiver, and it can be hard on the caregiver physically.  However, Tyler would challenge that the “mental is the most strenuous, tiring aspect of the entire thing. If you’re not taking the time to rest your emotions and your mind, you’re not gonna make it. You’re just simply not.”

Tyler readily shares that the ALS Association of Texas has been helpful in providing equipment as needs arise. He adds that he is thankful that in two years, Mylinda has progressed slowly, and they have not needed much of that just yet.  However, what has been most helpful to Tyler and Mylinda are the information and contacts, especially in the Lubbock and West Texas area where resources are more limited.

“Through ALS Texas, we were also able to receive information about clinics throughout the state, and get tied into those, as well as connect with other people in the area who are struggling with ALS.”

Information is especially critical in navigating the day to day challenges and often-times new normals that are part of the overall ALS experience. Tyler’s biggest struggle as a male caregiver? “Thinking like a woman. You have to somewhat get in a woman’s head as a male caregiver and that’s dang near impossible for us guys! It’s the mental game that you have to play with yourself. As men, we don’t think about that stuff, but the ladies, they still want to look pretty; they still want to feel pretty.  Feeling pretty for a woman is huge.”  And the biggest challenge within this? Sharing in his genuine approach that always contains some humor and laughter, Tyler quickly offers, “I do not like touching feet.”

He adds with a more serious tone, “clipping her toenails, painting her toes…you know doing all that stuff.  You really start to think about what attracted you to your spouse. It’s almost like you gotta think about being the opposite sex, and what they think is important and make that important to yourself as well. When you take the time and make her feel pretty, it’s amazing the glow that comes out of her, and the more zeal for life she has, despite the situation she’s in.”

In his last words of encouragement and support for all family caregivers, Tyler adds, “Hug your spouse. No matter what you’re going through, they’re going through it worse. Hug them, love them, show them compassion.”

Watch Tyler’s full interview below.

Walk to Defeat ALS Hero: Maria G. Sanchez

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Written by Maria’s daughter, Melissa.

Maria was a hero to everyone for many reasons. For her closest family, friends, and mentees it was because they could feel that Maria possessed the ability to see the very best in them no matter what. They knew that her occasional tough love was actually just the frustration she felt from them not living up to their own limitless potential.

Quite literally, she was a hero because she was a registered nurse, a nurse manager at University Medical Center (UMC) in El Paso, and a clinical instructor for The University of Texas at El Paso School of Nursing. She was a go-getter, a leader, and well-respected at the hospital and in her community. Maria was dedicated to patient care, and accomplished many “firsts” for UMC. She was a mentor to many. So much so that her UMC family continues to raise awareness for ALS and joins the Walk every year in her memory.

“She was full of life. We would go out shopping, and she would out-last everybody,” her daughter Melissa says. She always had an inappropriate joke, a Maya Angelou quote, uplifting advice and a prayer ready for any situation and any person that needed it.

Maria worked to instill strong values in her children, Melissa and Francisco, and sparked their desire to give back. Her motto was: “To whom much is given, much is required.” Melissa and her brother saw this in action, as their mother continuously helped family and gave back to her community, never expecting anything in return.

When Maria was diagnosed with ALS in August 2015, she didn’t tell her children or her family until January. She wanted to protect them, as she always did. She took the initial heartache, head on, with only her husband David by her side. She referred to him as her rock and her angel because he stood by her side through every heartbreaking battle so that their children and family didn’t have to worry. And they didn’t because they knew she was in the best hands.

During her battle with ALS, her humor and unwavering faith gave her family peace. Her smiles in photos were bigger than ever. Her daughter believes she did this consciously in order to show her loved ones that not even ALS could destroy her fighting spirit and the love she had for them. Her whole life, she embodied the Maya Angelou quote, “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.”

After Maria passed away, her family felt called to honor one of Maria’s final wishes, “Life goes on,” she said, “You have to go on.” There was no better way for them to go on than to honor her life by continuing her legacy of giving back by starting the Walk to Defeat ALS team Maria G. Sanchez’s Warriors and volunteering with the ALS Association of Texas. They have even started reaching out to corporations to help secure corporate sponsorships for Walk to Defeat ALS. Their hope is that their efforts contribute to helping people with ALS and their families in even the slightest way.

“I want to tell people with ALS that you are not forgotten. You are not alone. My Mom at times felt like she was a burden to us, but it is the honor of our lifetime to be there for you in your time of need, just as you have always been there for us. You’re our heroes and you will always be our source of strength.”

Want to get involved and support Texans with ALS like Maria?

Join Maria G. Sanchez's Warriors

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Walk to Defeat ALS Hero: Judy Baucom

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Dawn and Shelley have been participating in the Walk to Defeat ALS in Dallas for the past nine years in memory of their mom, Judy Baucom.

Shelley says, “Mom was the most selfless person I’ve known, who always put others first and loved big.  She was a great listener and gave the best advice – my kids still talk about things that she had told/taught them!  Up until the end, she wanted to make sure her family and those around her were taken care of – her concern for others took priority.”

True to her nature, Judy had been taking care of her sister, who was battling cancer, when the first signs of ALS started to appear. She was dropping things a lot, tripping occasionally, and her speech was a bit slurred. But Judy and her family all thought it was due to the stress and exhaustion due to caring for her sister. “It all makes sense now, but at the time she just chalked it up to ‘I’m tired, it’s old age,’” says Dawn.

Judy pushed past her own symptoms and continued to lovingly care for her sister until she passed away in June. Three days later, Judy had a fall and her left side went numb. Everyone thought it was a stroke, due to the stress of losing her sister. She went to rehab, and her family noticed that even with physical therapy, she still was not improving, but instead getting worse. In September, she went to the ER with leg weakness and tremors, and after seeing a neurologist for tests, was diagnosed with ALS.

As soon as her family found out about the diagnosis, Dawn and Shelley researched the disease and signed up Team Judy for the Walk to Defeat ALS in November 2012.

Judy helped design the team shirts for her Walk team. She loved hummingbirds, and included one on the front of the shirt. Her Occupational Therapist, upon learning that Judy was an artist, created a stamp of Japanese characters for “hope” and “strength” that she put on the back of the shirt. He even bought her a watercolor kit so she could continue to paint the hummingbirds she loved.

After her fall, Judy lost the ability to speak, and relied on a small whiteboard to communicate with her loved ones, often writing words of encouragement and inspiration for her daughters. Even in the midst of ALS, she was still caring for others.

Judy’s health declined quickly, and in October went to a hospice facility in Tyler.  She passed away on November 10 – the same day as the Walk to Defeat ALS, and merely six weeks after Judy had been diagnosed. The night before, Dawn and Shelley visited their mom, knowing she did not have much time left, said their goodbyes and told her they were going to the Walk to Defeat ALS. They got the news early the next morning that she had passed away. “She knew we were walking. We always said she wanted to be there with us,” says Shelley.

At the Walk to Defeat ALS, in addition to friends and family, Judy’s nurses, physical therapists, and other people she had briefly met during since her ALS diagnosis, joined Dawn and Shelley. Judy had known some of these people just a short amount of time, but she had made a significant impact on them and inspired them to join the Walk in her honor.

“Mom not only showed strength through this whole process, but beautiful FAITH.  She was continually thinking of others and shared her Faith and Love in the Lord.  What a wonderful Legacy she left behind, and we have been so blessed to have her as our mother and friend.”

Dawn and Shelley have continued their mom’s legacy in the nine years since she passed. Over the years, they have hosted fundraisers for their friends and family, auctioned off Judy’s paintings to raise funds, and hosted a BBQ on Walk day for the Dallas ALS community, all to fulfill the vision of creating a world without ALS.

“ALS is a horrible disease…That’s why we do what we’ve been doing since the morning she passed. Try to raise funds and make sure that those that are still fighting and continue to fight have a chance. And that’s how we honor our mom,” says Dawn.

Want to get involved and support Texans with ALS like Judy?

Join Team Judy

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The ALS Texas Equipment Loan Program: Helping the Hilliards Stay One Step Ahead

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ALS is a devastating disease, and as it progresses people lose the ability to walk, speak, move, and breathe. Here at the ALS Association of Texas, one of our most important initiatives is our Equipment Loan Program. This program allows our ALS community access to various equipment they may need throughout their journey with this disease. Equipment is expensive but it gives a person with ALS much-needed freedom and mobility back, so being able to offer a program like this is instrumental to the life of a person with ALS.

One of the big things about this disease is staying one step ahead so that when something happens, you have the equipment you need right there waiting for you.

“Some things happen suddenly, and you’re not prepared. To be able to have the ALS Association local chapter be there and reach out and say ‘here’s my need’ and have that need met is huge,” said Tamara Hilliard.

As ALS progresses, each persons needs are different. When Tamara’s husband, Jim, a person with ALS, was no longer able to walk and needed a power wheelchair, our team had luckily already provided them with a Hoyer lift. At the time, Jim was still able to walk with a walker, and only sometimes needed a chair. One day Jim had a bad fall and broke his knee. Suddenly, they needed a safe way to get him in and out of bed. Thankfully, they had that solution waiting for them in the garage, so Tamara, Jim’s wife, was able to care for and transport him safely. From that point on, he was chair-bound, but they didn’t have to worry because they had the equipment they needed to get him from the bed to the chair.

“Life’s precious – there’s not much time when you’ve been diagnosed with a disease like ALS,” said Tamara. “I think it’s important to support the closet, and support helping families get the equipment, even if it’s temporary until they can get their own. It meets a real need for ALS patients because of their health and their physical decline are continually changing.”

Katy’s Youth Action Challenge: Supporting Caregivers

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For Katy, her grandmother has always been a constant in her life – from Wednesday night family dinners to dropping her off at various sporting events. When Katy’s grandmother was diagnosed with ALS in 2018, things began to change, but the love they share only has grown to be more precious.

Katy is in 11th grade and currently an Ambassador in the Girl Scouts. She is starting to work on her Girl Scout Gold Award, and when brainstorming what she could do, ALS was the first cause to pop into her mind. Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors who earn the Gold Award tackle issues that are dear to them and drive lasting change in their communities and beyond.

For this project, Katy has decided to create a document of tips and tricks for the ALS caregiver. She has watched her family, especially her grandfather, adapt to various ways of caring for her grandmother and she knows that what they have learned could potentially help other people in the same situation. Katy will be working with her grandfather and reaching out to other ALS caregivers in her local community to compile suggestions to help others in the future.

Katy is used to visiting her grandmother every Wednesday, and due to COVID-19, her whole family has had to rely on group texting to stay in contact. Her grandfather even made a daily schedule so everyone knows who will be sending detailed updates on that day.

Over the past two years, Katy has grown to appreciate the little moments that she gets to share with her grandmother. Her advice for people who might be going through the same thing with someone they love is just to take every moment you get and be appreciative of what you have. The small moments you have with the people you love turn into the best memories.

There are so many ways for children and young adults to get involved and support people with ALS, especially through the ALS Youth Challenge. ALS Youth Action Day is on May 16th, but you can take the ALS Youth Challenge any day! By telling stories about your ALS hero, spreading awareness through social media, hosting a creative virtual event (like a dance-off), or fundraiser you’ll be showing the world that ALS needs to be cured.

Let’s Inspire Hope, and Show Texans with ALS that We’re In This Together

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Social distancing and shelter-in-place has quickly become the new normal for many people over the past few weeks, especially for people with ALS because they are considered high-risk. People with ALS can already feel isolated, as ALS can rob them of their mobility and ability to communicate, but now they are even more isolated as they try to keep safe in the face of a pandemic. With everything going on in the world today, so many people with ALS need of words of encouragement, hope, and the knowledge that we’re all in this together.

We are launching a campaign called #ALSinthistogether to bring the ALS community together to share messages of love and support. This can be an inspiring quote, a photo of an act of kindness, a video message of encouragement, or anything you can imagine conveying hope.

Starting April 20th, we’re challenging you to share your message of hope using #ALSinthistogether and show Texans with ALS that we are here for them, no matter what. Join us.

Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

  • If you’re a person with ALS or a caregiver, share how you are being supported by your loved ones.
  • Draw an inspirational quote in chalk on your sidewalk and take a photo to share.
  • Record a video of yourself telling a loved one with ALS that you are thinking of them.

Get others involved!

  • Encourage your neighborhood to put up signs of support in their windows for your loved one with ALS and share photos of their signs.
  • Ask your friends and family to record and share personalized video messages for a loved one with ALS
  • Post your message of hope on your favorite social media channels and include #ALSinthistogether.
  • At the end of your post, challenge your friends and family to create their own message of hope using the #ALSinthistogether.

We will be featuring #ALSinthistogether posts throughout the campaign. Please follow us @alstexas if you don’t already, and you might see yours!

We hope you will join us to inspire hope and let people with ALS know that we’re all in this together!