On June 7th, family members and friends of Michael Westendorp are joining together on the ALS United Mid-Atlantic's Walk. This year, we hope to raise  $2,000 as a team to raise awareness about the disease and collect donations to fund both patient care and futher research. We are walking in honor of Michael. 

When Michael received his ALS diagnosis in June of last year, we were relieved to know what was causing his muscles to atrophy and limit his ability to stand up without support. We were also afraid of what was going to happen to him as the disease is quite gnarly. His care team could not tell us how slow or fast his illness would progress since every patient is different. They also gave us every bit of knowledge and hope they have gathered over the years.  However, they are the first to tell us that although there has been much progress, there are still many unknowns. So, they  encourage patients to live life as fully as possible now and also provide us the tools we need to navigate through the progression of the illness.

Now, a year later, Michael tires so easily that he does not look forward to going out with folks and sitting for long periods of time because standing is out of the question. His breathing and swallowing are also beginning to show signs of deterioration. This is not a happy time and while he does his best to keep up a positive attitude it wears on him and all of us who love him.

We're walking to raise funds for ALS United Mid-Atlantic to create a world without ALS. Help us help others and make a donation. Click on the link and scroll over to "Donate Now".

Love,

Gavriella 

for Team Michael