Phil's Urgent ALS Equipment Fundraiser

Three years ago, Phillip Stanford started to feel a weakness in his left arm. Being an incredibly healthy person who played sports all his life and then went on to become a personal trainer, he didn't think much of it. After rounds of testing and to the disbelief of doctors and family alike, he was ultimately diagnosed with ALS.

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that is terminal, giving those diagnosed 2-5 years to live. It causes all muscles in your body to atrophy, slowly taking away all mobility. As you can imagine with a disease like this, there are many things needed to help assist with quality of living, and that is why I am starting this fundraiser.

These items are expensive and often not covered by insurance.

One of the main items that would improve Phil's quality of life is a motorized wheelchair that is made specifically for people with limited neck and limb strength. The wheelchair Phil has currently is a regular manual one that provides zero support for his neck muscles, which are currently very weak, or much support for his limbs. We are also fundraising to install a ramp to allow for his home to be more handicap accessible.

Your donation will help provide a wheelchair that is motorized, which makes a massive difference for both Phil and his caretakers alike, provides support in all necessary places, and folds down to allow for the option to put it in a car trunk.

This would mean the ability to leave the house more often and more comfortably, which is something that would make a massive difference in quality of life.

The other item we aim to raise money for in this fundraiser is an iPad. Apple recently came out with a new feature called "eye tracking technology," which allows the user to use their eyes to spell out words and make sentences. This is a game changer for people who have limited speech. Due to the tongue muscles weakening, ALS patients often lose their ability to speak, which is something Phil is struggling with at the moment.

As you can imagine, this is truly a time-sensitive situation and we are truly depending on our community to show up and show out with love and support during this time. Yes, dealing with this sickness is one of the hardest things we've ever had to do, but providing Phil with the ability to communicate again as well as move around more freely will allow him to gain back some of the quality of life that has been robbed of him through disease and would truly mean the world.

Description of eye tracking technology: