On June 1st, I will be participating in the ALS Canada Walk to End ALS in Ottawa in support of Lauren's mom. Now more than ever, the ALS community needs our support to provide hope and help to families affected by ALS. There are many research scientists all over the world working on clinical trials.  Several drugs slow down the disease, but so far there is no cure.  This is the 2nd time I've joined others, as part of a passionate and motivated community to “walk” in celebration of hope and a world free of ALS. Please consider joining Team MacBenny Ottawa and walking with us on June 1st. With your donations we are one step closer to a world free of ALS.

I was 59 when I had a fall that caused damage to my right hamstring. I went through a year of pain and testing because my injury did not heal. I was a very active woman, mother, and grandmother. I enjoyed hiking mountains and downhill skiing. Each year 1000 people get diagnosed with ALS in Canada. I never thought there was a possibility I could have ALS. ALS does not discriminate. It doesn't care if you are young or old, active or inactive. December 2022 I was diagnosed with ALS. Now my hikes are on flat surfaces with a walker and my skiing is in a sit ski. I am blessed to have a big circle of family and friends to support me. This is a degenerative disease so we are Walking to End ALS.

-Carolyn Bennett

Your support will help to:

• Create a better day-to-day reality for people and families living with ALS by providing community-based support throughout Ontario – like home visits and support groups – as well as necessary medical equipment like hospital beds, wheelchairs, stairlifts and other items that increase safety in the home, at no cost to those who need them.
• Further scientific progress by investing in the ALS Canada Research Program, which funds promising ALS research. The ALS Canada Research Program is the only national dedicated source of funding for ALS research across Canada. This program provides peer-reviewed grants to researchers whose work has the greatest potential to advance the field of ALS. There’s been more progress made in ALS research in the last five years than over the last century – we need to keep building on this momentum.