Barb's Devastating Diagnosis

Hi! My name is Elisa Stafford, and I have created this GoFundMe for my dear friend Barb Hurd. She will not ask for our help, but she really needs it now!

Barb was recently diagnosed with ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Like many athletes stricken with this fatal condition, she is determined to do what it takes to live strong for as long as she can.

The new medication, Radicava (edaravone), has recently been FDA approved but is tightly controlled by the pharmaceutical company, which has declined to provide financial assistance to any individual on Medicare. With an ALS diagnosis, Medicare insurance is granted immediately. Barb has been through a tremendous ordeal working on getting the needed medication to slow the progression of this disease. She has submitted applications for grants with eight organizations that provide Rx assistance for people diagnosed with ALS; all funds are currently closed (out of funds), likely due to the many applications and the new drug's cost! ($169,000 per year).

Barb is faced with close to $5,000 out of pocket per month for this tier 4 drug. She will also have to travel to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for ongoing ALS treatment supervision, which will add to her medical expenses. I realized she needed help from friends, family, and our community. Our goal is to help cover expenses for four months.

She is a fighter, she has beat cancer, and I know with the proper medications has what it takes to fight ALS. Ironically, Barb was a champion fundraiser for A.L.S. research with her cyclist team that completed several Death Rides for Life, multi-day bike rides in the San Juan Mountains in Silverton, Colorado. The ride was a 235-mile grueling course in Southwestern Colorado San Juan Mountains over five mountain passes with 17,000 feet of elevation gain. She received the “Angel of Life” award for fundraising. Now she needs our help!

Please take a moment to view this inspiring video of one of the official Death Ride's.

Please help Barb fight this fight. And help her raise awareness of the high cost of medications for devastating diseases. Please help if you can; any amount will be cherished!