Ross's Fight with ALS

As most people assume when making things like this it is usually never a good thing. With much heartache, my family was notified my 37-year-old brother was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in November 2022, better known as ALS. Nothing can prepare you for the agonizing news. As a family, we are keeping hope for a cure while he fights this disease. This is no news anyone ever wants to hear. I imagined being able to celebrate my brother's 50th birthday and his and Melysa's 30th wedding anniversary. He is an amazing father to 2 boys ages 6 & 9, I thought he'd get to watch them get married and have children but instead, they are going to see their father struggle as this disease progresses. But we’re praying we have many more years with him. Ross is currently seeking other options as far as clinical trials and medications. As you can imagine the cost of these things is going to keep climbing. He is no longer able to work and my beautiful sis n law is continuing to work and do what she can but we do realize in the future her work will become solely focused on the caretaking of her husband. We do not know when but this disease progresses at its own quick pace, the timeline of ALS is 3-5 years. My goal is to assist them with making my brother's comfort a number one priority. Assisting with new bills and medical equipment he will need down the road. Most importantly though, give him the ability to Fight and fight HARD! If you know my brother you know he's selfless, he's loyal, he's loving and he never asks for anything. I know one thing he would ask for is to love his family, keep peace and cherish every day. Every dollar, Every share, and Every comment of positivity means so much. Let's all come together for Ross, his wife and his two Boys; Ross and Matthew.

I appreciate you for taking the time to read my brother's story.

According to HuffPost.com, “ALS is a very expensive disease, costing patients an estimated $300,000 a year. The majority of patients bankrupt their families with the costs, and an even larger number simply can’t afford the cost to stay alive, so they don’t. Can you imagine - having to stop BEING ALIVE because it’s too expensive?”

All proceeds will go towards Ross's treatment and care and will help raise awareness of ALS.

We are so grateful for everyone’s continued support.

What is ALS?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a rare neurological disease that affects motor neurons—those nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. Voluntary muscles are those we choose to move to produce movements like chewing, walking, and talking. The disease is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time. ALS has no cure and there is no effective treatment to reverse its progression.

ALS is a type of motor neuron disease. As motor neurons degenerate and die, they stop sending messages to the muscles, which causes the muscles to weaken, start to twitch (fasciculations), and waste away (atrophy). Eventually, the brain loses its ability to initiate and control voluntary movements.

Why does it happen:

ALS is inherited in 5% to 10% of people. For the rest, the cause isn't known.

Researchers continue to study possible causes of ALS. Most theories center on a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors.