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.
“Then there is the TEAM TGO ALS walk around Hidden Lakes. There will be a water and snack station set up along the course. It’s a fun time to grab a friend or a group of friends and enjoy the morning. It’s also a great route to walk your dog. “It really takes a village of friends, families and participants to make this event a success. I would like to give a
heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped or offered help in all the past and present ALS walks. Thank you to all the very generous donors of the beautiful handmade raffle gifts and the donated services from business inside and outside TGO in the form of gift cards and gift certificates. Also, I am so grateful for donations to the ALS Association.”
Come Join Us Saturday, February 24 - 8:00 am At The Manor
Thank you to these fantastic sponsors and friends who donated these gifts... Longhorn Steakhouse 150 Dessert Or Appetizer Detail’s Ect. Pressure Washing $125.00 Gift Certificate Home Depot Water For Walkers & $25 Gift Card Blue Heron Restaurant Two $25 Gift Cards Pam Wheeler Handmade Quilt Longhorn Steakhouse Two $45 Filled Gift Boxes Bob Evans Three Handmade Tote Bags Eagle’s Pride $50 Donation To The ALS Association Golf Carts Unlimited Three $40 Gift Certificate Canine Villa Kennel’s $50 Gift Certificate Robin’s Styles Unlimited $75 Avon Gift Basket Kaydee Jewelry by Kathy Drugan Four Pairs Of Earrings Carol’s Creations Handmade Quilt Carol Sims Christmas Candy Cane Wreath Wanda’s Wonders Turtle Gourd Birdhouse Black Cat Coffee $25 Gift Card Josie’s Floral Design Fall Flower Arrangement Sevard Woodworks $125 Handmade Wood Wine Craft Agape Grooming Mobile Pet Grooming $100 Gift Certificate Bill’s Motor Works Two $100 Gift Certificates Village Inn Restaurant Three Entrees, Two Pies Hollerbach’s Restaurant $100 Gift Certificate Judy Sierer Flamingo Wall Hanging Linda Cavagna Original Water Color Art
Stuff N Thingz Tracy Lewis Eight Hand Crafted Cards Ginny’s Airport Services $60 Gift Certificate Cracker Barrel Restaurant Two Entrees Hang 12 Tie Dye by Kim Ela Boyd $100 Gift Card D’s Creations Colorful Acrylic Coasters Set Bonnie Vaughn’s Cleaning $120 Gift Certificate Custom Golf Carts $99 Gift Certificate Lynn Foster Two Original Water Color Art River Lanes Bowling $50 Fun Pass Kris Lee Scott “3 Good Things” Journal Sharon Fore Handmade Quilt Petrie Pressure Cleaning $150 Gift Certificate Ron Norris Ford Two Gift Certificates For A Oil Change Tgo Golf Club Four Rounds Of Golf Joanne Robeson Original Water Color Art Theresa Brown Massage Two 30 Minute Massages Mamma Rosa’s Pizza Two $10 Gift Certificates Trimmers Hair & Nail Studio Two Gift Certificates Sharon Baumgarten Handmade Quilted Table Runner Gwen Fronk Etched Wine & Tumbler Glasses Wild Goat Soap Co. $30 Sampler Gift Box Joann’s Hair Salon Gift Certificate Skinderella Aesthetics $75 Gift Certificate & Candle Tammy Alpert Handmade Swedish Weave Blanket
For more information about the ALS Walk or to make a donation, contact Debbie Grondin at 603-617-0463 or Donna Martin at 321-848-1920 or Pam Christian at 931-628-4507