Joan Bradnam lost her sister, Linda Brens, to ALS in May 2006. The Vineland resident served as her sister’s primary caregiver during her two-year battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which more than 1,000 Ontarians live with at any given time.
Bradnam has become an important resource for families coping with ALS in the Niagara region. As a support services volunteer at the ALS Society of Ontario, Bradnam mentors current caregivers, conducts home visits and facilitates access to information and services available in the area. For the last three years, she has also led the Niagara support group. Her efforts were recognized in May when she was awarded the national society’s Marcel Bertrand Exceptional Support Services Award.
Bradnam is also a fundraiser and will participate in the annual Niagara Falls WALK for ALS, taking place at Chippawa Falls Park on June 20th. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the 5 km walk at 10 a.m. Seventy per cent of the proceeds fund the province’s equipment and support services programs, while the remaining 30 per cent funds research towards a cure.
“Fundraisers like the walk are vitally important,” says Bradnam. “The ALS Society of Ontario relies exclusively on donations and events like the walk to help people like Linda live their lives with dignity.”
Now in its ninth year, the WALK for ALS is the ALS Society of Ontario’s signature event and largest annual fundraiser. In 2008, Niagara Falls raised more than $19,000, with $1.15 million raised provincewide. Niagara Falls is one of 28 locations across Ontario holding walks this year.
“The ALS Society of Ontario’s goal is to help ease the physical, emotional and financial burdens ALS creates,” says Maureen Sheahan, President & CEO, ALS Society of Ontario. “With the help of volunteers and supporters across the province, we’ve grown the WALK for ALS into our most successful and anticipated event. We ask the public to help us continue this success story in 2009.”
For more information, or to support the walk, visit www.walkforals.ca.
ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal and rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease affecting more than 1,000 Ontarians and their families. There is no cure or effective treatment. Eighty per cent of those affected die within two to five years of diagnosis. The ALS Society of Ontario is a non-profit organization committed to providing equipment and support services to increase quality of life and provide independence, dignity, hope and choice to people with ALS.
