2024 Columbus Walk: Team Draga

Team Draga

Thank you for helping my team reach its Walk ALS fundraising goal. We walk in
honor and in memory of our mom, who we lost to ALS in 2021. We've proudly raised more than $10,000 in six years, all to support those affected by ALS and to spread awareness of the urgency to find treatments and a cure.

Walk ALS Columbus is especially significant to my family this year because it falls on September 15, my mom's birthday. She would have turned 71. This is also the 10-year anniversary of the viral Ice Bucket Challenge. Since 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised more than $115 million. These funds have led to drastic increases in ALS research funding, hopefully bringing us closer to a breakthrough in diagnosing, treating, and eventually curing this disease.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe. The life expectancy of a person with ALS averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis. ALS can strike anyone, and presently there is no known cause or cure. That's why we're walking. To change the statistics. To bring help and hope to those living with the disease. To ensure that no one ever hears the words: "You have ALS" again.

Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries. ALS can strike anyone. Presently there is no known cause of the disease, yet it still costs loved ones an average of $250,000 a year to provide the care people living with ALS and their families need.

That’s why we’re participating in the Walk ALS event. To bring hope. To raise awareness. To provide resources and services to families free of charge. To help unlock the mystery of ALS and find the key to treatments a cure.

Your contribution helps countless families just like mine who have been, or are currently, affected by this disease. We benefited greatly from the services and equipment offered by ALS United Ohio and firmly believe in the importance of paying it forward.

Please consider walking with me or contributing toward our team goal. With your help, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of people affected by this disease right here in central and southern Ohio.

Thank you,

Aleks