1939: Lou Gehrig, baseball’s “Iron Horse,” was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), cutting short one of the sport’s longest and most remarkable careers. There was (and still is) no cure and no treatment for ALS, which afflicts people of all ages, sex, color, and ethnic background. The diagnosis was (and still is), quite literally, a death sentence.
1990: My father, O.C. Kemp, succumbed to ALS after a courageous three-year battle. He was one of 5,000 people who die each year from ALS.
2005: Fitness entrepreneur Augie Nieto was diagnosed with ALS and decided to fight back. He joined forces with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to form a new fund-raising and public awareness foundation called “Augie’s Quest.”
Summer 2007: MDA-funded scientists isolated the genes that code for ALS, bringing us another crucial step closer to the cure.
August 2007: John Ondrasik of the band Five For Fighting dedicated his hit song “100 Years” to the ALS struggle. A video was produced to accompany the music, entitled “Augie’s Quest.”September 2007: Two families who have been touched by ALS, the Glenn Tullman-Allscripts and Bert and Cindy Silvia, have agreed to together donate $2 to Augie’s Quest every time the video is viewed on John’s site. No phone calls, no e-mails, no fund-raising letters, and no donations. Just a simple click of the mouse and $2 is added to the $11 million already raised to fight ALS through Augie’s Quest. Nothing could be simpler.
Today: You can help make a miracle happen. Take five minutes and help us fight ALS by watching the video here . . . you will save someone’s life! And while you’re there, add your comments to the others who have been touched by this heartfelt video and its message.
I believe in miracles and I hope you do, too -- won’t you please let your friends and family know about this wonderful opportunity?
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