In 2001, Patricia and Oran Hamilton welcomed their son Patrick into the world. As Patricia started this new chapter in her life, she knew that she wanted to cherish every moment of motherhood. Over the years, she watched as her son grew, encouraging his love of learning.
When Patrick was 11, Patricia started experiencing weakness in her hand, and went to a neurologist who gave her three different diagnoses. In March 2014, she was finally diagnosed with ALS.
On Monday, March 26, more than 150 shooters gathered for the 3rd Annual Shoot Out ALS tournament at the Greater Houston Gun Club, raising $127,000 for the fight against ALS. Shooting enthusiasts participated in an afternoon shoot followed by cocktails and dinner, a live auction, and an awards reception.
At the tournament, we recognized ALS Hero JC Creath. Before ALS, JC and his wife Andrea were photographers, always on the go. While busy photographing weddings, families, pets, and babies, the symptoms of ALS began. JC began tripping and falling, and he struggled to catch his breath at times.
On Saturday, January 20, more than 250 people attended the 14th Annual All in for ALS Poker Tournament. The event raised over $185,000 for the fight against ALS and to help fulfill our mission of finding treatments and a cure while serving, advocating for, and empowering people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest.
All in for ALS began in 2004 in honor of Stu Nichols. Stu and his son Andrew had a mission to visit every ballpark in the U.S. throughout Andrew’s childhood. Amidst their journey, Stu was diagnosed with ALS. After his diagnosis, he was still committed to visiting the remaining ballparks, but he also wanted to find a way to fund research for a cure for ALS. Andrew had been playing online poker at the time and was interested in playing in the World Series of Poker tournament. They decided to start a poker event that would benefit people living with ALS.
On Sunday, January 14, 35 runners participated in the Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason Program in support of the ALS Association of Texas. The Run for a Reason program “connects the philanthropic community to passionate race participants willing to fundraise and raise awareness for meaningful causes,” according to the Marathon website. This is the eighth year that the ALS Association of Texas has been chosen as an official Charity of Choice.
Here’s a quick and easy way you can make a big difference and help ALS patients throughout the state of Texas!
Join the 2018 Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason Charity Challenge! From Dec. 20 – 31, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. CT, you can vote for the ALS Association of Texas or make a donation. Three prizes will be awarded in the amount of $25,000 each in the following categories:
By John Quinn
Like many people with ALS, I first noticed symptoms several months before I was diagnosed. In December 2015, I was dropping my right foot when I walked and began fatiguing more easily than normal.
I went to multiple doctors and finally saw a neurologist who suspected I had ALS, and he recommended I go to Houston Methodist hospital. In May 2016, I went through a series of tests for two days at Houston Methodist hospital and was given an ALS diagnosis.
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.
On Monday, March 27, shooting enthusiasts gathered for an afternoon clay shoot in support of the fight against ALS. More than 100 shooters participated in the 2nd Annual Sporting Clay Shoot, followed by cocktails, dinner, and awards at the Greater Houston Gun Club.
The first Sporting Clay Shoot was held in 2016. ALS Texas board member and Phi Delta Theta alumnus WL Gray recommended a clay shoot when the Texas Chapter was looking to create a new fundraising event. WL has been a member of the Greater Houston Gun Club since 2005, and having shot in a number of charity events before, he began considering a clay shoot event for ALS.
Here’s a quick and easy way you can make a big difference and help ALS patients throughout the state of Texas: Through the Chevron Houston Marathon “Run for a Reason” program, people can vote online for their favorite Texas charity. Whichever organization receives the most votes between now and the marathon will win $51,000.
By simply voting for the ALS Association Texas Chapter, you could help us earn $51,000!