Walk Check-in: 8:00AM
Walk Start: 9:00AM
"IMA AZVOTS Walk to Defeat ALS" will be walking in memory of my friend Jeff Julian who passed away from ALS in 2004. Jeff was my husband Greg's roommate at Clemson University and that is where I first met Jeff.
Julian played on the PGA Tour in 1996 and 2001, and was a member of the Nationwide Tour in 1990 and 1997-2000. He won the 1997 Dominion Open.
Jeff was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrigs disease, on October 8, 2001. He continued to play on the PGA Tour despite his terminal illness, getting seven sponsors invitations in 2002.
Just eight months after getting married on Feb. 15, 2001, Jeff and his new bride Kim discovered he had Bulbar ALS, the more serious form of the disease. Normally, the disease starts in the limbs and works its way up the body, eventually affecting speech, swallowing and the respiratory system. But thats where it started for Jeff.
Jeff Julian died July 15, 2004 in his Vermont home after a near three-year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Julian, who had moved in March to the family farm where he grew up in Norwich, was two weeks shy of his 43rd birthday.
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 Walk to Defeat ALS. To bring hope. To raise awareness. To provide resources and services to families free of charge. To help unlock the mystery of ALS and find the key to treatments a cure. Will you join us?
ABOUT ALS
Amyotrophiclateral 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!