In 2018 we set out with the goal to spark hope, ignite action, and inspire others to join us in the fight to create a world without ALS. And it was thanks to our wonderful community that we were able to achieve that goal. Throughout the year we provided patient services, hosted community events, and helped fund life-changing research to find new treatments for this devastating disease.
Spark Energy
Unlock ALS
This year, we once again hosted our annual Walks to Defeat ALS. Thousands gathered to walk for friends, loved ones, and co-workers in order to celebrate progress and possibility of a cure for ALS.
This year we focused on strengthening our community of ALS warriors by launching UNLOCK ALS. UNLOCK ALS connected people through their unique ALS story, with every walker wearing a different colored key to represent how ALS has impacted their lives. From patients, to caregivers, to those who have lost a loved one, each person was able to find others with similar stories for much needed support and understanding.
Spark Innovation
Giving a Voice to Those Without
In 2018 we launched Project Revoice- an initiative aimed to help those who have lost the ability to speak. Thanks to brand new technology created by Canadian-based tech company Lyrebird, ALS patients were given new, natural sounding “voices” by having their own voices banked and fed through speech-generating devices. This eliminates the clunky computerized voices from the past, and allows patients to communicate while holding on to a familiar piece of themselves.
Learn more about this groundbreaking tech at www.projectrevoice.org.
Spark Breakthroughs
Making Strides with Research
Thanks to donations and funding from the community through the ALS Foundation, Houston-based neurologist Dr. Stanley Appel and his team discovered that Regulatory T cells may be a key component in the progression of ALS.
In addition, researchers have made other major strides including a pill to reduce neuroinflammation and developing antisense drugs. Our hope is that through these studies we can one day achieve our goal of creating a world without ALS. And it’s thanks to you that, step by step, we’re getting there.
Spark Hope
Looking to the Future
In 2018 we continued our focus on our local community. We increased our funding of clinics across the state, forged new partnerships to improve patient care, and helped clinics complete the requirements to become certified by the ALS Association, which unlocks additional funding and enables more clinical trials.
Next year we’d like to focus on continuing to expand and break down barriers of access to care. We hope to demolish the walls that limit those in more remote areas from getting the care they deserve and need.
With your help we can continue funding ground-breaking research, continue finding solutions to help ALS patients communicate and live comfortable lives, and we can reach those in unreachable places. Would you like to join our mission and be a spark to light the fight for an ALS cure? Donate today!
