Sara & Neal's ALS Support Fund
Donation protected
I have long admired my cousin, Sara Dickinson. She served her community and her country with pride in Iraq. She is also the glue for our family here in Chicago, regularly hosting us for holidays and other family gatherings, checking in on us, and lending her support when needed. Sara met and married her husband Neal almost 20 years ago. I would describe Neal as a devoted husband and father, a talented artist, and always ready to lighten the situation with his humor. It pains me to write about their situation, but it pains me more to sit on the sidelines and do nothing to help them.
Sara's husband Neal has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a disease that paralyzes people because the brain is no longer able to communicate with the muscles of the body that we are typically able to move at will. Over time, as the muscles of the body break down, someone living with ALS will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow, and eventually breathe. There is currently no cure for ALS.
This is a devastating disease and Sara, Neal, and their children Haley (11) and Eva (7) need you to help so they can provide Neal with the care and dignity he deserves. They are urgently trying to purchase a van that is wheelchair accessible to get him to and from doctor visits and so he can watch Haley and Eva in their activities as long as possible. The vans cost approximately $80,000 new and $35,000 used. They also need a full body lift at home so Sara can help get her husband out of bed and into bed safely and a lift outside to get his wheelchair up and down from the porch, so they are not confined to the house.
In the spring of 2020, Neal began to notice having some issues with his right arm/hand and by late summer/early fall, he had little use of it. He started seeing a neuromuscular specialist and eventually, Neal was diagnosed with ALS. Since receiving Neal's diagnosis, Sara and Neal have had to make difficult life decisions including the decision this spring to move in with Neal's parents in order to have additional family support, as well as live in a home that is more wheelchair friendly. They also had to make tough decisions around when and how much to inform Haley and Eva, as well as plan for the future. Besides the medical bills and equipment needed, Sara and Neal also desperately want to give Haley and Eva loving memories of family outings they will have forever before Neal is bed ridden and unable to do so.
Please help us raise some funds to help them!
I know that you, like me, would do anything to make it so Haley and Eva didn’t have to deal with the hurt, uncertainty and sadness this must bring them. Unfortunately we can’t, but we can help to make sure they get the best of their dad and Sara gets the best of her husband while going through this. In these tough times I understand that it isn't always easy to give, but Sara went to bat for all of us, will you please go to bat for Sara, Neal, Haley and Eva?
Sara's husband Neal has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a disease that paralyzes people because the brain is no longer able to communicate with the muscles of the body that we are typically able to move at will. Over time, as the muscles of the body break down, someone living with ALS will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow, and eventually breathe. There is currently no cure for ALS.
This is a devastating disease and Sara, Neal, and their children Haley (11) and Eva (7) need you to help so they can provide Neal with the care and dignity he deserves. They are urgently trying to purchase a van that is wheelchair accessible to get him to and from doctor visits and so he can watch Haley and Eva in their activities as long as possible. The vans cost approximately $80,000 new and $35,000 used. They also need a full body lift at home so Sara can help get her husband out of bed and into bed safely and a lift outside to get his wheelchair up and down from the porch, so they are not confined to the house.
In the spring of 2020, Neal began to notice having some issues with his right arm/hand and by late summer/early fall, he had little use of it. He started seeing a neuromuscular specialist and eventually, Neal was diagnosed with ALS. Since receiving Neal's diagnosis, Sara and Neal have had to make difficult life decisions including the decision this spring to move in with Neal's parents in order to have additional family support, as well as live in a home that is more wheelchair friendly. They also had to make tough decisions around when and how much to inform Haley and Eva, as well as plan for the future. Besides the medical bills and equipment needed, Sara and Neal also desperately want to give Haley and Eva loving memories of family outings they will have forever before Neal is bed ridden and unable to do so.
Please help us raise some funds to help them!
I know that you, like me, would do anything to make it so Haley and Eva didn’t have to deal with the hurt, uncertainty and sadness this must bring them. Unfortunately we can’t, but we can help to make sure they get the best of their dad and Sara gets the best of her husband while going through this. In these tough times I understand that it isn't always easy to give, but Sara went to bat for all of us, will you please go to bat for Sara, Neal, Haley and Eva?
Organizer and beneficiary
Soraya Fata
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Sara Dickinson
Beneficiary