Walk for Momma

This is a photo of our walk team, Always & forever Leslie's Soldiers, from last year. I am the team captain and am having an exceptionally difficult time contributing to the walk this year. Without my Momma, my motivation and desire has severely dwindled. However, I am pressing on because this is a fight I believe in with all my heart and so does my Momma. Without experiencing it first hand, it is hard to understand.

WHY I WALK TO D'FEET ALS
My Momma, Leslie, was diagnosed with ALS July 10 2006. That is the day my life forever would change. Momma was 48 years young when she lost her battle with ALS on January 5 2008, 18 months after diagnosis and merely 2 years after the onset of her symptoms. She has 5 grandchildren that love her to pieces and 3 children who love her more. In 2006, Momma married her soul mate and love for the last 15 years. This disease took the ability to play, run, sing, dance, and do other activities from her including standing, walking, speaking, eating and ultimately breathing.

We don’t know why my Momma was afflicted by ALS. She was always a great mother, daughter, sister, wife, and grandmother. She had always done all that she could for family and friends alike. She got up every morning with a smile, knowing there may be new challenges facing her each day. My Momma required assistance in everything she did from getting dressed to going to the bathroom and brushing her teeth. She had to get a feeding tube due to the difficulty taking her medicine, because ALS affected the muscles in the back of her throat. This disease affected her brain causing her to be unable to control her emotions and comprehend things. She eventually was unable to communicate with us because we simply could not understand her or what she was trying to tell us. My Momma spent her last days uncomfortable and then incoherent in a hospital. I'll never forget the way I felt looking at her dead body or asking "Was that it?" with tears in my eyes, after her obvious last breathe. The nurse said she died peacefully but it sure didn’t feel that way to those who loved her as we watched her gasping for her last breathes. Words could never describe what we felt or saw that week or what it was like to have to make the decision not to give food or water to your mother. The horror that was felt as we watched her stare into space and wonder what her mind was thinking. The worst part was watching her weak and tired body in discomfort when the pain medication wore off. In the beginning she would just moan and her arms would flail. After a few days, she was only strong enough to barely lift her arms off the bed. I had to tell my dying mother goodbye and so did her other 30 year old daughter and 23 year old son as well as her loving husband, her parents, her only sister and 3 brothers. To think, she went into the hospital because the pain medication caused constipation and she was having severe stomach cramps after not having a bowel movement in 7 days. Yes, 7 days. 9 days later, she passed. We never thought she wouldn't be coming back home. Today, I miss her more than ever. I would have taken care of that woman for the rest of my life if God had let me. Today, Alex still asks questions about why Mommom died and it makes me sad to think that she probably won't remember a thing about her in 20 years. The following is a picture from Christmas last year. I tried to get her to smile but she was just too uncomfortable and unhappy. She never even opened her presents. Two days later, she went to the hospital. New Year's will never be the same for me. Don't let this disease keep destroying people's lives. Please help by sponsoring me!

Why We Need Your Help
Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries. We walk to support comprehensive patient service programs and leading edge ALS research. You can play an essential role by sponsoring me. Both walkers and donors directly impact the lives of those affected by ALS by providing the means to raise awareness and to offer the services needed to treat and defeat this disease.Not only do proceeds from the Walk go to services that improve the day-to-day lives of ALS patients and their loved ones (like wheelchairs, walkers, etc.), but also the money we fundraise is directed toward programs that look to the future. Promising research indicates that we are getting closer to finding treatment options and scientists are hopeful that a cure will one day be discovered. Please consider sponsoring me. With your help, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of people affected by ALS. The ALS Association made a significant difference to my Momma by loaning her a wheelchair and walker. They also gave her an aide 3 days a week. Not to mention the care and support from the doctors, nurses and staff at the ALS Clinic. I encourage you to get your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers involved!

Anyone who has already donated whether it was to me or someone else, I greatly appreciate it! If you have been asked to donate to another walker, by all means donate to the other person. But please donate. Every little bit counts! Thanks so much! If you have any questions send me an e-mail.

Here is the link to my walk site. http://community.alsphiladelphia.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=466&frsid=1421
Just click on Sponsor Me to donate here. If you'd rather send me a check, send me an e-mail and I will reply with my address. I'd rather not post it. If you do not have my e-mail, click on view my complete profile under About Me to the left. Once there, click on e-mail on the left hand side under contact under my picture.