Walk To Defeat ALS Saturday In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Walk to Defeat ALS takes place Saturday morning in Ocean City. Registration starts a 9 a.m. before the walk kicks off at 10 a.m. The event begins at the 6th Street Athletic Complex.

The event will raise funds for research and community-based patient services programs for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Often called Lou Gehrig's Disease, ALS is a progressive motor neuron disease.

It causes people with the disease to eventually lose control of all voluntary muscles of the body, including the ability to walk, use their hands, eat and breathe. Most commonly, the disease strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time.

While research is increasing understanding of the disease, ALS currently has no effective treatment or cure. Without mechanical ventilation, the average life expectancy for a person with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis, although some people live more than 10 years.

The walk is 1.5 miles long. The event has raised $129,903 of its $225,000 goal so far. Click here to register online or donate.

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