Thank you for helping us reach our fundraising goal! In the last 8 years our team raised over $34,000!!  My hope is that we can raise another $3,000 this year! Together we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  Please consider joining us in the Walk to Defeat ALS® or choose a team member from the list and donate to our cause.

As you may or may not know, I lost my older brother (John "Johnny" Fox) to ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) at the end of 2014. I didn't speak much about it at the time because it was a very painful period for my family and me. I learned a ton about ALS, life, grief, and my brother's strong will to fight anything he was up against. In honor of his memory, I'm participating in The Walk to Defeat ALS for the 9th year to continue the fight to help others who are currently in this battle.

If you don't know much about ALS I can give a some simple 3-sentence summary here: ALS is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. There is no cure at the moment for this disease. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages 2 to 5 years.

In the span of two years my brother went from working out routinely to not being able to brush his own teeth. The most horrific aspect of this disease to me (at least that I saw in my brother) was the fact his mental state was completely unchanged. His body was failing him and deteriorating by the minute but his mind was as sharp as ever. On my final visit with him (about a month before he lost his fight with ALS) he could tell me all the current stats of our favorite sports teams and details of all the foreign countries he's traveled while giving my wife and me advice on where to honeymoon. However, all of this was being relayed by slow, slurred speech as I spoon fed him a Sonic shake.

As I live over 1,000 miles away from my family, I'm sure my parents and sisters could provide many more horrifying details. They were by his side daily at the long-term care facility where he spent his last 10 months of life. I will always wish I could've done more.

I'm looking forward to participating in this event in memory of my brother to raise awareness and necessary funding for support/research of ALS. Please join me! You can join my team (Johnny Walkers) to participate in the NYC Walk on Saturday, May 4, 2024 and/or sponsor my team by donating or being a virtual walker and walking from home! The Walk to Defeat ALS is a short one or two mile walk.  Being able to do this in my brother's memory means the world to me.

Thank you!!

Kenny