Post 179

Alright anyone for anyone who doesn't know I've been racing as a member of Team Blazeman for the past year, trying to raise funds and awareness for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease/ Motor Neuron disease in Queen's English.) ALS is a degenerative neurological illness which attacks the motor neurons in muscles. Essentially think of your body as an electrical machine with your brain as the battery... your motor neurons are like the wiring, and carry the electronic signals from the brain to move, breathe, talk..etc. ALS is when this wiring system "shorts out" depriving the patient of movement, speech and eventually life, as of this moment there is no cure and it usually kills in 2-5 years, although some such as Professor Steven Hawking, have managed to live substantially longer.
Over the past year through the kindness of readers and friends I was able to raise $629 for the foundation. For those that don't know the foundation was started by Jon Blais a 34 year old triathlete who did the 2005 Hawaii Ironman 5 months after being diagnosed with the disease he competed using number 179 hence the significance of the number and the post.
Upon talking to his parents Bob and Mary Ann at Eagleman and Rhode Island 70.3 the Blazeman Foundation will be funding a study on a possible link between a mild form of dementia and a form of ALS with the dementia serving as a possible early warning sign to the disease. If a link can be established perhaps treatment can be found..it would be a kind twist of fate to those currently living with the disease if we suddenly figured out the existing drugs we use to treat dementia, depression and the early stages of alzheimer's could arrest the progression of this killer.

Alright that's my medical rant for the quarter.
R.D.