Virtual Walk to End ALS happens June 21

NEWS RELEASE
ALS SOCIETY OF CANADA
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The Sault Ste. Marie ALS community knows a thing or two about resilience, courage and adaptability – and they are coming together virtually to show it! As Canada responds to the COVID-19 pandemic with physical distancing, they have turned all Walk to End ALS event across Ontario into a fully online event. Happening on Global ALS Awareness Day, June 21, 2020, community members from Sault Ste. Marie will take part in this unique virtual event that unites Canadians in their desire to put an end to ALS, celebrates hope for a future without ALS, and honours those we have loved and lost.

Today 3,000 Canadians are living with ALS – a terminal disease with no known cause or cure. Unforgiving and relentless, the disease progressively paralyzes people leaving them unable to walk, talk, swallow, eat and eventually breathe. While COVID-19 has changed all of our daily lives in significant ways, it is having a particularly dire impact on people affected by ALS, who rely on personal support workers, the delivery of assistive devices, and clinical care to manage their changing symptoms.

The COVID-19 crisis has also had a significant impact on people’s ability to give. As an 100 per cent donor-funded health charity, this is of great concern. Funds raised through the event will be essential in helping us to continue to provide community-based support to people and families living with the disease in a time of social distancing and ensure a strong pipeline of funding for the best of Canadian ALS research.

“We know how much people affected by ALS value the Walk. It’s more than a fundraiser, it builds community and connects people, demonstrating that we are all part of something bigger,” says Mary-Anne Walsh, regional manager at the ALS Society of Canada. “Now more than ever before, the Walk to End ALS will help raise much needed funds for research, community-based support and equipment for people, helping to alleviate the burden of this disease.”

Although the Sault Ste. Marie community can’t be together physically, we are inviting them to come together and show support for people affected by ALS. Because one thing is for sure: ALS doesn’t stop and neither will we.

To learn more about the Walk to End ALS, to register or to donate, visit here.

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