Cure for ALS

www.CureForALS.com After watching a broadcast of the 2005 Ironman World Championship, our son, Brian Duffy, then a 12 year old triathlete was motivated to help raise awareness and money to find a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He saw Jon Blais finish the grueling endurance event just six months after being diagnosed with ALS. Brian watched as Jon did a log roll across the finish line, something that would catch on to athletes spreading awareness for the disease that took Jon’s life just two years later. Brian decided that day to help with finding a cure. Brian started what has now become a family mission to end ALS. His first fundraising campaign was a letter asking friends and family to sponsor his triathlons in 2006. Then Brian had the idea to host a community 5K road race. The FIESTA 5K/15K (formerly known as the ALS Run for Life 5K) has grown from 200 participants the first year, to over 1000, and has raised $135,718. The annual road race benefits the Emory ALS Center in Atlanta, GA, with the proceeds specifically directed to ALS research. Kevin, our younger son, is an avid golfer. When he saw how the community responded to help families living with ALS, he too became inspired. Kevin asked how he could help. He has sold golf balls, benefiting ALS-TDI, and has volunteered at several ALS golf tournaments. Kevin is a terrific ambassador in spreading awareness about the disease. Kevin urged us to host a golf tournament. In 2013 we hosted two tournaments and raised $7800. The Terance Mathis Celebrity Classic was the most recent and will become an annual event. Mike joined Brian in competing in triathlons in 2006 with a Sprint distance race. He gradually challenged himself to longer distances, eventually building to the Ironman distance. Mike has done two Ironman triathlons and the inspiration from Jon Blais carried him through to the finish line. Mike and Brian share the message about ALS over and over again at every race where they compete. They spread awareness and honor the pALS (people with ALS) they have known, often doing a log roll over the finish line – just like Jon did in 2005. In addition to directing our fundraisers, Karen is the Volunteer Coordinator at the Emory ALS Clinic, webmaster for the Emory ALS Center, and a committed advocate for ALS across the country. She was a founding member of Team Blazeman and was on the initial Board of Directors for the Blazeman Foundation for ALS. Karen has become close with many patients, and lost too many to count, and that is the driving force to do everything she can to help researchers solve the mystery and stop ALS. She attends and helps organize ALS events regularly. Literally, there isn’t a day that goes by without doing something to spread awareness, work on a fundraiser, support a patient, or assist in another ALS event somewhere. We started Cure for ALS in 2006 as a means to host the inaugural ALS 5K race but it has grown to be much more than we ever imagined. While the fundraisers that we host benefit the Emory ALS Center, our family supports many other organizations benefiting ALS. We participate in events throughout the year and do our best to be the voice, the hands, and the feet of those pALS who have lost theirs. Cure for ALS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support ALS Awareness, advocacy, and fundraising for viable treatments and an eventual cure.