Garcia’s efforts earn record
By CELINA ALVARADO, LAREDO MORNING TIMES
11/05/2006

year, local business owner Jerry Garcia, who was diagnosed with ALS — Lou Gehrig’s disease — in 2004, traveled to San Antonio to participate in a fundraising walk he hoped would eventually lead to a cure for this rare disease.He returned to Laredo with the dream that maybe one day a similar walk would be held here, the proceeds of which would benefit patients diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS.

Saturday, that dream turned to reality, and then some.

Under cool, gray skies, more than 1,000 people, a record number, showed up to participate in Laredo’s first ALS fundraising walk held at Texas A&M International University.

The event unexpectedly broke an ALS fundraising record for South Texas.

Sitting in his wheelchair, flanked by a slew of teary-eyed family and friends, Garcia – who had expected 500 people at best — led the walkers in a 3.1-mile trek around the TAMIU campus.

“It is very emotional to see all the people coming to help,” Garcia said. “It is very emotional and healing for me at the same time. I am overwhelmed. We had a fantastic turnout.”

Garcia wore a T-shirt with his team name, the “J” Walkers on the front and “Walk to d’feet ALS 2006” on the back.

His family, including his wife Susan, surrounded him in support.

“We are here to support my tio,” said his 10-year-old niece Andrea Garcia, who said she was praying for a cure. “We want to do anything we can do for him.

“My tio can’t do a lot of the things he used to do,” she said. “It’s been really, really hard.”

The event’s success was bittersweet for some happy to finally bring awareness to this quiet, deadly disease.

Carmen and Christi Rendon, a mother-daughter combo, said they brought with them about 30 other family members who named themselves “Charlie’s Angels” in memory of 54-year-old Carlos Rendon, who died from ALS on Feb. 1, 2004.

“This disease is irreversible,” said Carmen, Rendon’s widow. “Once it hits you, that’s it. We didn’t know much about it until it happened to us.

“ALS affects everyone — the entire family,” Rendon said, reflecting on the past two years. “We need to find what causes this deadly disease so we can stop it and/or find a cure.”

Others, like family members of 42-year-old Reyes Ruiz III, who passed away just two days prior to Saturday’s event, also walked in memory of their loved one.

The walk’s goal was to collect $25,000. Before noon, volunteers estimated they had received more than $100,000 in donations.

“This walk has turned out to be the biggest, most successful walk ALS has ever seen (in South Texas),” said Yvonne Garcia, executive director of the ALS South Texas Chapter.

She attributed much of the success to Garcia’s efforts and a slew of corporate and individual sponsors including but not limited to TAMIU, Modern Construction, Laredo National Bank, Paul Young, Sames, International Bank of Commerce, City of Laredo, Gene Belmares, Starbucks and others.

“We had about 600 registered walkers, but more than 1,000 people showed up. It has been one surprise after another,” she said. “The community has really come out to show their support.

“The city of Laredo, for example, donated $10,000,” Garcia said. “For a city, that is normally unheard of.”

The money will be used to provide ALS patient services in Laredo and will also benefit ALS research.

“ALS is a neuromuscular disease that weakens all the muscles in the body,” Garcia said. “There is no cure and the only treatment available is to help make a patient’s quality of life easier.

“This can be done by providing them with walkers, and for those who are paralyzed, wheelchairs and other devices that assist patients who can’t communicate effectively on their own,” Garcia said. “Right now, about eight to 10 families have been affected with ALS in Laredo. We know there are more people. They just haven’t been identified yet.”

Garcia added that the average life span for an ALS patient is 18 months to 5 years; however, there are a few exceptions to the rule and at least one who has lived with it for decades.

“Laredo has a patient that has had ALS for 41 years,” Garcia said. “He was diagnosed when he was 40 years old. He is now 81! This is very rare, but it goes to show you that anything is possible.”

(Celina Alvarado may be reached at (956) 728-2566 or by e-mail at celina@lmtonline.com)


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©Laredo Morning Times 2006