Debbie Grondin’s Fight Against ALS What Exactly is ALS? Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It usually strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and approximately 20,000 people in the U.S. have the disease at any given time. ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. At this time ALS has no known cure. Enter Debbie Grondin and TEAM TGO Debbie Grondin is a familiar face here at TGO - especially if you’re familiar with her fight against ALS. This will be her sixth year to host the TEAM TGO ALS Walk - with the single goal of raising money to help fight this disease. This is personal for her. “My brother got it at 54 and lived four and a half years, but it wasn’t until the last six months that they diagnosed him with ALS. We watched him lose his ability to speak, to sing, to laugh, to run, to walk, to move, and to breathe. “This is a horrible disease - which anyone of us can get, especially in our age bracket. A cause we all need to support. “Some people get diagnosed and are gone in six months, some people live for 20 years, but the average is two to five years. It’s not an easy disease to live with,” explained Debbie. “I pray that one day there is a cure.” How do you know you have the disease? “Different people have different symptoms. My brother started slurring his words, which is known as Bulbar-onset ALS. Bulbar-onset ALS generally starts with symptoms like slurred speech, difficulty chewing and swallowing, excessive choking and weakness or twitching in the muscles of the face, jaw, throat, and voice box, particularly the tongue. Signs that these symptoms may be occurring include difficulty forming words, poor articulation and changes in voice or speech patterns, including a harsh, hoarse or strained voice, and decrease in range or loudness of voice. Some people start falling down or get a tingling in their legs. Some get weakness in their arms. It affects everyone differently.”
The ALS Association is a nationwide program. Debbie’s efforts are associated with the Orlando chapter. The money raised doesn’t just go to cure the disease but it goes to help people who have the disease to have a better quality of life. The money can provide wheelchairs, help with finding doctors, provide exercise programs and more. “This will be our sixth year doing this for TEAM TGO, explained Debbie. Last year we raised $7,000 and we got a bonus of $1,500 because someone said that whoever raised the most money in a designated week would get a bonus, and we got it, so with that we raised $8,500. Our goal this year is to hopefully raise over $10,000.” This may be a horrible disease, but Debbie, with the help of her husband, Dennis, and her sister, Cheryl Albert, along with a long list of supporters and very dear friends, put on an event that is fun for all participants. “There are raffles for nearly 70 gifts well worth over $5,000 provided by individuals and the sponsors. Longhorn Steakhouse provided 150 appetizer/dessert coupons. There will be hand-made quilts, jewelry, paintings, wreaths, gift baskets, flower arrangements, woodcraft items, and lots of gift certificates from our local businesses. A lot of people and companies have really contributed this year. “Megan Gunter, our ALS Orlando Walk representative, comes from Orlando to support our walk, and brings lots of ALS information. “The day of the walk starts early. It takes many hands to get set up. We haul up the tables, set up the sound system, put banners in place, display the raffle gifts, check in the walkers, accept donations, sell raffle tickets, etc.” The morning starts out with an outdoor Zumba warm up, led by Melanie Matz to get everyone ready for the walk. The TGO Clown Alley will also be there to entertain.