$4.3 Million Donated To ALS Research By CVS (Video)

Kevin Turner played in the NFL for eight seasons in the 1990's, first for the New England Patriots, and then the Philadelphia Eagles.

Treg Carlton, a husband and young father from Chagrin Falls, Ohio works as a regional director of real estate for CVS Caremark.

Barry Winovich, a husband and father of three, is a founder of the Bright Side of the Road Foundation.

The three men have one thing in common: they have all been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, an incurable fatal neuromuscular disease with an average life expectancy of 3-5 years. 

, headquartered in Woonsocket, launched an innovative campaign towards finding a cure for the disease in 2002 and has since donated more than $27 million towards ALS research. This year, co-chairs and lifelong friends, Carlton and Winovich raised $4.3 million through the company's in-store fundraiser, turning the mutual diagnosis into a collaborative fight against ALS with the help of a dedicated corporate sponsor and a childhood bond.

At a First Pitch ceremony at Fenway Park Thursday night (opening game three in the Red Sox series against the New York Yankees,) Carlton and Winovich joined Turner, along with President and CEO of CVS Caremark Larry Merlo, Executive Vice President Jon Roberts, and leading doctors in ALS therapy and research, marking the company's 10th year of fundraising with on-field presentation of a check for $4,328,970.

Charlton threw the ceremonial first pitch and Grammy-nominated country music star Ty Herndon - the celebrity sponsor of the fundraiser, aptly named "Researching the Cure," - sang the National Anthem.  

"These men have gone above and beyond in terms of the time and energy they've devoted to the cause. Their personal stories have been a tremendous motivator to CVS/pharmacy, its colleagues and its customers in raising funds for ALS research," said Roberts.

"CVS is now the single biggest corporate donor, ever, for ALS, with this level of support for over a decade," said Dr. Robert H. Brown, Jr., executive director of ALS Therapy Alliance and chair of the Neurology Department at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "This is an extraordinary story of benefaction from the private sector." 

Dr. H. Robert Horvitz, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2002, who has done ground-breaking research on the disease in Brown's lab, explained that such sizable donations allow scientists to use truly innovative approaches towards finding a cure.

"Funding like this is very unusual and exceedingly important," said Horvitz. "You can be willing to take a chance on doing something that is high-risk, high return. It may not work, but if it does, it makes a revolution towards advancing more affective treatments."

There is no known cause or cure for ALS, which affects 25,000 Americans, with 5,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Although the campaign ran from June 5 through June 25, there is still a way to help. CVS/pharmacy, in collaboration with Charlton, Winovich, Turner and Herndon encourage those interested in helping to donate $5 to ALS research by texting KICKALS to 20222.