Cyclists ride for activist who died of ALS
By Hoa Nguyen • *edited* • May 6, 2009





GREENWICH, Conn. - Surrounded by friends and family, Phil Gormley hopped on his bicycle yesterday to descend and then later ascend Claire's Climb in honor of his sister, who died Monday of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

"We're here celebrating," said Gormley, 50, of Rye. "In honor of her freedom from ALS, we're going to ride for her today."

Claire Gormley Collier, 46, an advocate for ALS patients who spent the past six years fighting to keep the terminal illness at bay, died at her home in Stamford, Conn. Collier, who was born in New Rochelle and grew up in Larchmont, was the second-youngest of nine children. She also was the mother of three children.

After she was found to have ALS, Collier became active helping to raise awareness about the disease and advocating for others like her.

She lobbied to change rules that denied her Social Security disability benefits because the disease was diagnosed years after she left the work force to become a stay-at-home mother.

Her efforts led to the introduction of the Claire Collier Social Security Disability Insurance Fairness Act, legislation that has since stalled in Congress. She and her family also formed the nonprofit Friends of Claire to raise awareness and lobby for change.

Yesterday, her two brothers and many Friends of Claire supporters lined the roadway in front of the Greenwich American Center holding banners and photographs of Collier, who often stood on the hilly section named after her to greet triathlon participants as they reached the top.

Many of yesterday's participants are members of a training team that Phil Gormley coaches who ride on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

"It's going to be an awesome ride," Gormley said to cheers as the group began the first of 10 trips up and down Claire's Climb.

Gormley said one of the most frustrating things about the disease was knowing that his sister, who had been athletic prior to the disease, had little to no control of her muscles to make simple gestures such as shooing away a fly.

ALS attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leaving a person without the ability to move muscle, eventually leading to muscle atrophy.

"You feel everything but you can't do anything about it at all," Gormley said.

Despite her illness, Collier never complained and focused on things that mattered to her, such as advocating for ALS patients and her family, said another brother, Greg Gormley, who came from Seattle.

"She was a warrior for ALS," he said. "She was strong spiritually and a great family person. She showed us how to live life better."

Calling hours for friends and family of Collier are scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Sheraton Hotel in Stamford, and the funeral will be at 10 a.m. tomorrow at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Stamford.



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