Community Supports ALS Treatment and Research

At Heather's Hootenanny for Hope: (from left) Canadian Idol's Zach Warner, Heather Snell and Dr. Strong

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, may place limits on people's physical abilities but for some, it cannot suppress their will and hope to defeat this condition.

Ayr resident Heather Snell was diagnosed with ALS in 2006. Heather has lost her ability to speak and play the piano, but it has not stopped her from communicating through sign language and a keyboard - or being the driving force behind an annual fundraiser called "Heather's Hootenanny for Hope". The event raised close to $90,000 in its first two years and added another $70,000 this year.

In St. Thomas, the family and friends of ALS patient Steve Barber have rallied around him and the cause. In 2004, their 150-member "Team Believe" completed a London fundraising walk that raised $32,000 for the cause. Over the years, they raised approximately $100,000 during the London walk before starting the "St. Thomas Walk for Lou Gehrig's Disease" in 2008. The new event raised $38,000 in its first year and close to $40,000 this past September with the help of the "Believe in the Cure" golf tournament and the "Meg Barber and Friends Music in the Park" event.

Both "Heather's Hootenanny for Hope" and the "St. Thomas Walk for Lou Gehrig's Disease" support the work of ALS expert Dr. Michael Strong of the Clinical Neurological Sciences (CNS) Department at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). Dr. Strong helps run an ALS clinic - the largest one in Canada - within LHSC's CNS program and also conducts ALS research at the Robarts Research Institute.

"We are tremendously grateful for the support of these events," says Dr. Strong. "People often under estimate the impact of such support. In the case of our research program, many of the critical ideas that we have pursued in developing novel approaches to ALS would never have seen the light of day in the absence of this support. Indeed, new concepts in the causation of ALS that reflect changes in our fundamental understanding of the disease, take their origin directly from research performed here in London and supported by our ALS community."

Each year, individuals and groups hold events in London and across the region in support of LHSC. Visit our community events website to see how you can get involved today!