Skip to content

Walk for ALS brings hope

Bringing hope to people with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and their families is the push behind the fifth annual Walk for ALS.
24274tribunea13-walk-final-IMG_2299
Williams Lake ALS Walk volunteers Elsie Montgomery (from the left) Connie Haeussler

Bringing hope to people with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and their families is the push behind the fifth annual Walk for ALS Williams Lake, says event organizer Eileen Campbell.

The walk is coming up Saturday, June 25 in Boitanio Park starting at 11 a.m. Registration is at 10 a.m.

Campbell said she became involved in organizing the ALS Walk because of her husband’s diagnosis and short battle with the disease.

“He died in 2010 after suffering for two years,” Campbell said. “Awareness is so important; many people who get the diagnosis have never heard of ALS.”

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

Last year’s Walk for ALS in Williams Lake showed record participation, resulting in $22,000 being raised to help find a cure. “A cure is close,” Campbell explained. “Research shows they’re within 10 years of finding a cure.”

She added that most people are motivated to take part in the walk because they’ve been affected by the disease one way or another.

“This walk gives people hope, and hope is what sustains those with ALS and their families and helps them carry on,” she said.

“What I want most is for people to feel that they’re part of a community that relates, supports and cares – doing everything possible to find a cure.”