Lou Gehrig's Disease run for research to be held on April 20
by Karin L. Nauber


**** Becker in 2005.



Three and a half years. To some people and in certain circumstances that might seem like a lot of time. To someone suffering with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) it means the end or nearly so anyway.

ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrigís Disease, is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by the death of motor neurons. This results in a gradual, progressive wasting away of voluntary muscles, often leading to total paralysis.

The life expectancy of a person living with ALS is usually two to five years from diagnosis.

Every week, an average of two Minnesotans are diagnosed with ALS and two succumb to the disease.

The Richard (****) and Mary Becker family of Browerville are working to make this disease less of a death sentence for those who have it.

The Becker family is very familiar with this disease because on April 17, 2006, **** died from the disease.

ìHe started out dragging his right foot. We thought it was just a pinched nerve,î said son Chad, one of the Beckerís 11 children.

Eventually, the disease worsened and through a process of elimination, ALS was diagnosed.

ìThere is no test you can give for this,î said Chad.

The average person with ALS lives three and a half years.

ìIt is a very debilitating disease, but the mind stays fully functional,î said Chad.

Chad now works with the Minnesota ALS Chapter.

ìAll 11 of us have gotten involved in the ALS association in one way or another,î said Chad.

The Minnesota ALS Association in 2007 helped 185 receive medical equipment on loan. They were also able to purchase $45,426 worth of new equipment. The chapter also paid for 10,300 hours of respite care for 101 families who used the Jack Norton Family Respite Care Program.

The chapter provides support to four different ALS clinics in Minnesota and North Dakota.

The chapter is looking towards the future and is not satisfied with the status quo.

This year they are looking at adding an additional patient services staff person, enlarging their service area to include more of North Dakota and hoping to raise at least $500,000 for ALS research.

The Becker family is working to help exceed that goal.

On Sunday, April 20, they are hosting The **** Becker Memorial ALS Run 4 Research supporting PALS, or persons with ALS. It is a 5K fun run and walk geared to promote awareness and support PALS, ALS research, the MN ALS chapter and at the same time, honor the memory of **** Becker.

Registration for the run is from 9 to 9:45 a.m. The run begins at 10 a.m. The run will be held at the Becker farm located at 21668 County Road 14, just west of Browerville. There is a $15 registration fee with the proceeds supporting the Minnesota ALS Chapter. The first 100 registered will receive a Run 4 Research t-shirt. For more information e-mail: mitchelljbecker@yahoo.com or chadlbecker@yahoo.com.

There will be door prizes and refreshments to follow at the Becker farm. Some of the door prizes will include signed Minnesota Twins merchandise.

The ALS Association is the only national non-profit voluntary health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS. The revenue raised in this fundraiser is used to support nationally directed ALS research and to fund local programs in patient services, education and awareness. The ALS Association spends more than 75% of its resources on programs. For more information on ALS visit www.webmn.alsa.org.

The 9th Annual Black Woods Blizzard ìNever Surrenderî Tour with 130 dedicated snowmobile riders traveled over 350 miles to raise $505,000 during the 2008 tour. The goal was $500,000. The tour was held February 6-9.

According to Bryan Becker, the familyís personal goal was to raise $10,000, which they did and it helped tip the scale for the entire tour goal.

http://www.inhnews.com/year08/apr/apr16/als.html