Run Becky Run!

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neuromuscular disease that affects 30,000 people in the US. It is always fatal and there is no cure at this time. ALS is also known as Lou Gherig's disease, named after the famous ball player that had this disease. Stephen Hawking had ALS also.  ALS attacks the motor neurons that control voluntary muscle movements, rendering them unable to communicate with the brain and spinal cord, which causes difficulty speaking, swallowing, breathing, paralysis, and ultimately death.  People with this disease are prisoners inside their own bodies, as they are completely aware of everything going on but are completely helpless to stop the progression of the disease. There is ongoing research to find a cure and a treatment that will slow the progression, but currently there are none. Bulbar onset ALS is a rare form of ALS that affects roughly 30% of patients with ALS. People with Bulbar onset begin having symptoms above the neck-usually a change in speech is the first symptom. Later, the muscles that control swallowing and breathing (the diaphragm) are affected. Ultimately the disease will leave the entire body paralyzed. Bulbar onset is very aggressive, more so than limb onset ALS. The average life expectancy with this form of ALS is 27 months after diagnosis.

Becky has Bulbar onset ALS. In late February, her speech became slurred, making her sound like she'd been drinking. She saw many doctors and had so many tests and procedures done to find the cause. While waiting on an answer, her speech became worse and she lost the ability to swallow.   By July, her speech has become completely intelligible and she had to have a feeding tube to get nourishment in her body.  Becky has always been a social butterfly and it has been so hard on her to not be able to talk and communicate with her family and friends. She has always loved getting out and exploring.  Road trips have always been her favorite thing to do!  She knows she's dying and wants to get out and experience life to it's fullest!

Becky has always been there for us when we laugh, or to vent frustrations, or to just ponder the quirkiness of life.  This fund is to help her travel and explore so we all can live vicariously and cherish life through her bubbly fun reports and updates.  Of course every dollar is to be spent on travel expenses, tickets, hotels, etc.  If you can please lets help Becky live these months to the fullest.