The Angel Fund is holding a Walk of Hope on Sept. 6 to benefit ALS research at UMass Chan Medical School.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neuromuscular disease that leads to muscle weakness and, as it progresses, results in total paralysis and the inability to speak and swallow, while the mind and senses remain intact.
As of today, no one knows what causes ALS. It is estimated to affect some 18,000 people in the U.S. at any given time.
The funds raised during the Walk of Hope, a 3.5-mile walk around Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, will go toward the Angel Fund, a nonprofit charity dedicated to supporting the ALS research of Dr. Robert Brown and his team at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester.
Brown is known internationally for leading the quest to cure neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases like ALS.
Registration for the walk will start at 9 a.m. on Sept. 6, and the walk will begin at 11 a.m. Doves will be released “in honor of those living with ALS and those who have lost their courageous to the disease,” the Angel Fund wrote in a statement.
Walkers of all abilities are encouraged to participate. Information about registration can be found on the Angel Fund website.
The Walk of Hope will honor those who have ALS and those who have lost their battle with the disease with the Faces of ALS.
Any participating team or individual who would like to honor a loved one with a poster along the walkway should send a high-resolution photo to theangelfundals@gmail.com by Sept. 1.
