Plant a Tree for Judy
Donation protected
**UPDATE**
Thank you for all of your generous donations while Judy battled her illness. We would like to plant a few trees in her favorite places in her memory. Any donations towards the $5,000 goal would be greatly appreciated. Any leftover funds will be donated to the ACLU in her name. Thank you all for your unending support.
Steve, Maia and Aaron
In the summer of 2016, Judy was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord; there is no cure at this time, though hope remains…. Despite the dire circumstance and prognosis, and with the help of her devoted husband Steve, and her family and friends, Judy has fought to maximize the time she still has by throwing herself into her work, family life, and travel. She is determined to enjoy life to the fullest. Though western medicine has up until now very little to offer to fight this disease, a new promising gene therapy treatment may be available in the Spring of 2018 that could potentially halt the progression of the disease and even restore some functionality. In the meantime, she has sought many alternative treatments that give her hope, comfort and the possibility of true healing, including acupuncture, physical therapy/bodywork, kinesiology and naturopathic medicine. All of these alternatives are costly and of course, not covered by insurance, despite the fact that the insurance she does have is close to a $1,000 dollars a month! Steve and Judy have managed the costs thus far, but fear that this is just not sustainable. Judy remains resolute and, though her mobility is compromised, she still has enough functionality to work and enjoy her family and friends.
How you can help:
Although they never dreamed they would be in the position of having to ask for assistance, this GoFundMe campaign will help ease the burden of the tremendous costs of their fight with ALS; most importantly including uncovered medical bills, home adaptations, expensive equipment she needs for mobility, as well as travel for trials, treatment, and care. Any amount helps. Thank you.
Thank you for all of your generous donations while Judy battled her illness. We would like to plant a few trees in her favorite places in her memory. Any donations towards the $5,000 goal would be greatly appreciated. Any leftover funds will be donated to the ACLU in her name. Thank you all for your unending support.
Steve, Maia and Aaron
In the summer of 2016, Judy was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord; there is no cure at this time, though hope remains…. Despite the dire circumstance and prognosis, and with the help of her devoted husband Steve, and her family and friends, Judy has fought to maximize the time she still has by throwing herself into her work, family life, and travel. She is determined to enjoy life to the fullest. Though western medicine has up until now very little to offer to fight this disease, a new promising gene therapy treatment may be available in the Spring of 2018 that could potentially halt the progression of the disease and even restore some functionality. In the meantime, she has sought many alternative treatments that give her hope, comfort and the possibility of true healing, including acupuncture, physical therapy/bodywork, kinesiology and naturopathic medicine. All of these alternatives are costly and of course, not covered by insurance, despite the fact that the insurance she does have is close to a $1,000 dollars a month! Steve and Judy have managed the costs thus far, but fear that this is just not sustainable. Judy remains resolute and, though her mobility is compromised, she still has enough functionality to work and enjoy her family and friends.
How you can help:
Although they never dreamed they would be in the position of having to ask for assistance, this GoFundMe campaign will help ease the burden of the tremendous costs of their fight with ALS; most importantly including uncovered medical bills, home adaptations, expensive equipment she needs for mobility, as well as travel for trials, treatment, and care. Any amount helps. Thank you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Pamela Smilow
Organizer
New York, NY
Judy Smilow
Beneficiary
