This was an eventful week: lots of ALS related good stuff, and a family wedding.
ALS good stuff #1: HOPE
Stan and I participated in a webinar from MT Pharma, the manufacturer of the newly approved ALS drug, Radicava, which should be available in August. It has been shown to significantly slow the progression of ALS. ALS patients can sign up for email updates at radicava.com. In July there will be a physician’s form for neurologists to use to enroll their patients. Then MT Pharma will work with patient’s insurance companies. The drug will be an hour long infusion every day for two weeks, then two weeks off, two weeks on, etc. It is exciting and gives hope because it’s the first new drug for ALS in 20 years.
ALS good stuff #2: LOVE
At our ALS Association of Nevada Support Group meeting on Thursday another ALS patient, Deb, who you may remember had the awesome car wash mitts on her wheelchair foot rests,
talked about her caregiver, who brought a sheepskin blanket and she loved the feel of it and found it very comforting. Her son took her to Build a Bear and she picked a panda with sheepskin-type fur. Then her son decided to make two so another ALS patient could have one. She presented it to me! The adoption certificate says it was built for mom’s friend. đź’ś He is so cute and comforting and that was absolutely an act of love.
ALS good stuff #3: HOPE, LOVE, and CONNECTION
On Saturday we had the Reno/Sparks Walk to Defeat ALS and the weather was absolutely perfect: blue skies, no wind, temperatures in the 70s. Caughlin Ranch Elementary School (CRES), where I worked, formed Team Meg. This was another act of love and I appreciate the support so much.
With Natasha, another Gifted and Talented teacher at CRES. Her daughter and daughter’s boyfriend walked too.
April and Laura. I gave Laura my camera to be the official Team Meg photographer. Thanks also to Stan who took the pre-walk photos.
It was so nice to see so many people I used to work with and around and to meet their kids too. There were also other staff members and parents who contributed but did not walk. Thank you CRES community – you are the best.
Stan’s cousin Lisa also came out to support my walk, although she has her own health issues that make walking diffucult.
I talked with other ALS patients and family members, some that I had met through the support group, and some that I was able to tell about the support group. This included one mom in a wheelchair who spoke only a little English. When I heard her son translate what I wrote into Spanish for her I began writing in Spanish, with a little help from her son. I was able to tell them about the support group too and the son put the information in his phone.
The entire walk raised over $25,000. Truly a morning of love, connection, and hope for what that money can do to defeat ALS. You can still donate to Team Meg at http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/Nevada?team_id=359152&pg=team&fr_id=12347
Other good stuff: Love (Family Wedding)
We went home from the walk and got ready to go to a 4 pm wedding in Graeagle, California (about an hour and a half drive). Lisa rode up with us. The groom, Clint, is Lisa’s step brother.
It was a fun and beautiful wedding with connections with family we don’t see often enough. I also got to know Gloria’s sister-in-law who is a physical therapist who has worked with ALS patients. We will keep in touch.
We stayed at the Chalet View Lodge in Portola so we wouldn’t have a long drive after the wedding. It was a lovely resort and there were a couple of bonuses included: more corntoss practice before breakfast and we ran into an old friend.
Bill Erlach and his wife Alexis were staying at the resort with a group of Bill’s high school friends on an annual weekend event where they go to a different Sierra Resort each year. They were enjoying golf and bicycling. I love running into old friends. I shared with Bill that I remember going on a hike with him and his dog Remington, when he was 10. They lived south of Rattlesnake Mountain at the time and we hiked through fields towards Rattlesnake (an area that is all developed now).
It was truly a full week of Love, Hope, and Connection.
