Hi Team!
Thank you all for such amazing support last year! We raised over $27K for ALS research, ALS patient care, support groups, and more!!!
We know 2020 has been a trying year for all of you and want you to know the McMillan family loves each of you and are here for you like you all have been such a great support system for us. We pray you and your families are staying healthy and safe during this time.
Our Momma, Bonnie McMillan, was diagnosed with ALS 3 years ago and experienced her first symptoms almost 5 years ago. ALS first took her speech and then her ability to eat. In 2020, ALS has shown signs of progression to her joints and limbs. As you know, our parents love to travel and visit friends! This year has been especially difficult for them because they obviously have not been able to do that as much. We must be extremely careful to socially distance with Momma and she misses seeing everyone. She has kept her positive attitude and remains hopeful. She is such an amazing inspiration to our family, and we are so thankful for the family time we have had this year. We were able to celebrate her birthday at Anna Maria Island in July with her side of the family. She was so excited to see everyone, at a distance, and watch all the kids play together. As you all know, she does not take for granted any time she is able to spend with each of you and looks forward to being able to hug each of you again, hopefully soon. Our dad, Tommy, continues to be our rock. He takes care of my mom every day with a smile on his face and his ever-consistent positive outlook on life. We really do not know how he does it all… He continues to amaze us and we are so grateful for his unwavering love and support for Momma. We love them both so much and are so proud to call them our parents!
Although it is difficult to think about anything other than the affects of COVID-19, we all know the rest of the terrible diseases in the world have not stopped, including ALS. ALS is still diagnosed every 90 minutes in the US and continues to take a toll on the 20,000 Americans living with ALS today, including our mom.
The ALS Association continues to be a phenomenal resource for my mom and all ALS patients around the world. The ALS Association is currently funding 169 research projects in 14 countries, committed $21.5M to 70 research initiatives in 2019, and most recently funded a clinical trial of a new drug that showed very promising results! Just last month, a new drug in Phase 2 trials showed it slowed the progression of ALS and the ALS Association is petitioning for it to be brought to market ASAP! Wouldn’t that be amazing!?!
Although we are not all able to walk together in Atlanta this year, we would truly appreciate your support this year in raising awareness and funds to help defeat this terrible disease! In this virtual environment, we encourage each of you set up a Facebook fundraiser, raise awareness on all social media sites, and send emails to your friends and family. Anything you can do is helpful, and we thank all of you in advance!! We love you and stay safe!
Love,
Christy, Amy, and Keri
