Please help my mother, Amelia, in prolonging her life against ALS for the cost of a single Starbucks coffee. As some of you know, my mother was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This progressive motor neuron disease attacks nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain affecting the functions of nerves and muscles throughout the body in time leaving a person paralyzed in the final stages. With a life expectancy between 2-5 years and an average out-of-pocket nearing $200,000, you can understand why we are turning to loved ones, friends, and those who don’t mind swapping a cup of Joe, for Amelia.

My mother was diagnosed with ALS in May 2021 after experiencing odd daily routine experiences which lead her to begin testing. It started with losing the ability to pinch her fingers making it difficult to do her hair in the morning as well as writing began to become a challenge. Soon after, we noticed she began to choke when drinking directly from a glass and later she felt weakness only in her left leg. We knew something was going on with my mother, but we were not prepared for the severity the day we received her diagnosis of ALS. Both my mother and my father did not even know much about ALS as I had just learned about it not so long ago through the Ice Bucket Challenge which created awareness and accelerated the fight against ALS. But in quickly learning more about the disease, it was devasting news for our family.

My mother is currently on the FDA-approved medicine, Riluzole, which is shown to slow the progression of the disease. She recently underwent a Gastrostomy Tube (G-Tube) back in early May due to our concern about her drastic weight loss as eating and drinking orally became almost impossible if not painful. This G-tube allows us to deliver her the calories and nutrients directly to her stomach through a surgically inserted tube using a syringe. This procedure was quickly followed by a Tracheostomy which is an opening surgically created through the neck in the trachea (windpipe) to allow air to fill the lungs and assist in releasing carbon monoxide from her body. As my mother’s muscles in her lungs began to weaken and breathing on her own became challenging, she needed to be on a ventilator to provide oxygen and monitor her daily. After a month and a half stay at the hospital, my mother is now at home under my father's and I's care.

This past year has been extremely challenging for each of us in our ways of dealing with not only the reality of my mother’s diagnosis but the care and reality of things yet to come. We are a small family consisting of my parents, myself, and my twelve-year-old daughter Gabriella – “Gabby”, who has called Amelia, “mommy” most of her life. My mother since as far as I can remember has been the rock for our family. She has a genuine pure heart, is loved by many, and has dedicated her life to defining the meaning of being a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Both of my parents are in their mid-70s and which leaves me very concerned for my father as the primary caregiver for my mother at home since the upkeep for her tracheostomy is very delicate, time-consuming, and can become exhausting even with the limited help I can provide.

Our goal is to help fulfill my mother’s wish in seeing Gabby graduate middle school and with the right care hopefully see her walk the stage graduating high school. With your help, I hope to not only relieve the stress my parents are experiencing but prolong my mother’s life long enough to have her witness a few more crucial milestones within our family. Can not thank you enough for your time in reading this and your generous contribution.

Forgive, love, and cherish.