Team Fightin ALS for Karen was started in 2023 after Karen Meenan was diagnosed with ALS earlier that year. Our amazing family and friends came together to show Karen support and raise money for the local ALS community. That year Karen got to cut the ribbon to kick off the walk alongside the Philly Phanatic, and was able to complete the walk herself with no assistance. In 2023 & 2024 combined our team has raised over $50,000 for ALS United Mid-Atlantic. This is a cause close to our hearts as Karen directly benefited from the care and services provided by ALS United Mid-Atlantic. This year will be our first year doing the walk without Karen there with us. We hope to make it our most successful fundraising year yet in her memory.
Karen was so much more than her ALS diagnosis. She went above and beyond in every role she had. She was an amazing wife, mom, friend, daughter, Mom-Mom, sister, aunt and so many other things. This has been shown each year at the walk in the amazing turnout we have had.
Karen began having symptoms of changes in her voice and slight weakness in her left hand in mid to late 2022. After searching for answers from multiple specialists, she was diagnosed with ALS in March 2023. The diagnosis was devastating to her and our entire family, but Karen kept a positive attitude and did not let ALS define her. She got to go to Disney World with her grandkids, dance with her son Tom at his wedding, and continued to find joy in life's little moments as she always had. She continued to slowly decline until a hospitalization for pneumonia in July 2024 caused her to progress significantly. She was cared for at home by our family after that, but still Karen persevered, committed to not miss a moment with her family. She spent one last amazing Christmas with her grandkids and passed away January 31, 2025. She fought an amazing fight and now we fight for her.
WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP
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.
That?s why we?re participating in the ALS United Walk. To bring hope. To raise awareness. To provide resources and services to families free of charge. Will you join us?
ABOUT ALS
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. 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. Join the movement to provide help and hope today!
