Walk4Life Lockport man's family supports ALS Foundation's efforts


September 7, 2008Recommend


By Denise M. Baran-Unland Special to the Herald News
As a little girl, Marcie Callicoat sat and watched an old movie about the life of Lou Gehrig with her father, Len Kunka, of Lockport. How could she then know that her father, now 54, would one day fight the same battle against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease?

Since Len's diagnosis two years ago, Marcie, of Aurora, and her sister Mindy MacNeil, of Chicago, have participated in several of the Les Turner Foundation's annual ALS Walk4Life at Montrose Harbor in Chicago.


Len Kunka of Lockport has ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. His family has become very involved in ALS fundraising efforts since his diagonsis.




On Sept. 13, the sisters are leading the Len's Den team in the seventh annual 2-mile walk. Even extended family from California to North Carolina will participate in the walk with them.

The walk attracts more than 5,000 people on 175 individual teams of varying amounts of team walkers, ranging from a few individuals to more than 300 members per team. Len and his wheelchair plan to join the walkers.

Anyone can support their efforts.

"You can register online to walk or donate or you can just show up the day of the walk," Callicoat said. "We won't turn anyone away. It's a really pretty walk, and it's wheelchair friendly, stroller friendly and dog friendly. We're hoping for beautiful weather like we had last year, blue skies and sunny."

$1 million goal
The Les Turner ALS Foundation estimates that about 1,000 people in Illinois have ALS and about 250 more are diagnosed each year. The Les Turner ALS Foundation currently serves about 625 of those patients annually throughout the Chicago area.
The goal of the walk is simple: $1 million. The money not only goes toward research, but also provides immediate assistance to affected individuals and their families.

Callicoat said that almost as soon as her father was diagnosed with ALS, the foundation contacted him and offered financial assistance for medical equipment and medical bills as well as mental and emotional support.

"The foundation's support group is very helpful because you get to meet other people going through the same thing," she said. "It's extremely helpful, especially when you are going through the beginning stages."

Slow progression
The very beginning stages for Kunka occurred two years before his actual diagnosis. At the time, Len attributed his strange muscle twitching to overwork
Always a hands-on person, Len was a 30-year Mercedes Benz mechanic and was always fabricating something at home, whether it was laying tile, installing a pool and constructing its accompanying deck, or landscaping his Lockport yard.

It was harder to explain away the sudden falling spells Len was now having. Then one day, Len just sat and watched the muscles twitch all over his body. He called his doctor.

That first visit prompted more visits to a bevy of specialists as he and his wife, Sarah, sought to learn what disease was slowly destroying his body.

"When they learned what it was they were almost relieved in a weird sort of way," Callicoat said. "But it was also a very scary answer. It was something that would take them a long time to process."

About the disease
According to the Les Turner ALS Foundation, ALS is a progressive, usually fatal, neuromuscular disorder that slowly robs patients of their mobility and ability to swallow and communicate. Ultimately, the disease leads to total paralysis, which may include the respiratory muscles. The person remains mentally intact until the end.
The disease knows no ethnic or gender boundaries. Life span is generally two to five years from onset of symptoms. While there is no cure, treatment can improve symptoms and quality of life, as well as delay respiratory failure.

Grants received through the foundation and a family-hosted fundraiser at Brookfield Zoo in February helped pay for Len's wheelchair, home nursing care and ramp from the bedroom to the bathroom.

The family is planning a second benefit Feb. 22. Contact James Bordoshuk at (630) 291-8411 or at jbordoshuk@hotmail.com for more information on that fundraiser.

Len has since retired from his job. Because he cannot use his limbs, Len gets around in his wheelchair. Doctors must monitor his ability to breathe.

Nevertheless, the disease has not destroyed his bright perspective on life.

"He keeps a light spirit and makes jokes about it," Callicoat said. "He was always that way, the life of the party.

"At Halloween he would go all out and wear costumes such as Roger Rabbit or Frankenstein. He still has his good sense of humor, and he can still make you laugh."



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