NEWS RELEASE
ALS ONTARIO
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As you schedule your commitments for the upcoming months, I am hopeful you will accept this invitation to attend the upcoming WALK for ALS in Timmins on Saturday, June 17.
This annual fundraising event for the ALS Society of Canada brings the community together to show its support for people living with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), honour those who have passed away, and share in the hope for a future where ALS is a treatable, not terminal disease.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, or motor neuron disease) is a disease that gradually paralyzes people because the brain is no longer able to communicate with the muscles of the body that we are typically able to move at will.
Over time, as the muscles of the body break down, someone living with ALS will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow, and eventually breathe. Approximately 80 per cent of people with ALS die within two to five years of being diagnosed. There are no effective treatments for ALS and no cure.
Funds raised through the WALK are used by the ALS Society of Canada to support people living with ALS and fund research with the potential to make ALS treatable, not terminal. We hope you will agree that this is a cause worthy of demonstrating your support for. Details for the event are as follows:
Date: Saturday, June 17, 2017
Location: École secondaire catholique Thériault
Time: Opening remarks at 10:30 a.m. WALK begins at 11 a.m.
Attendees: Approximately 150 people are expected
BBQ to follow, courtesy of M&Ms
There are currently over 45 people living with ALS in NE Ontario. 850 people in Ontario. Average age of 57.
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