Nice opportunity to help a brother out

[emike123]

Ed sent me this note to me and probably a few others here.  He is an infrequent forum member but a great fellow.  You may want to join me in supporting his fight against the terrible scourge of Lou Gehrig's disease. 

Hi Mike, I hope all is well with you. I can't wait until Richmond, my next show. I am starting a fundraiser for ALS research, and I hope you can help. Below is the email I am sending to all of my friends. You can read below for an update on my condition. Please feel free to copy, paste and introduce me to your friends. Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!  Ed

      My walking team and I are working on defeating ALS. We are walking on April 30, 2016 in  Greensboro, NC. I am looking for sponsors and donations to help us meet our goal for fund raising.
      My wife Oenita Blair has Reoccurring Multiple Sclerosis and comes in and out of debilitating periods, so I was her care giver for the first part of our marriage. Two years ago I was diagnosed with ALS, which I found was passed down by my mother and making me the 6th one in my family to be diagnosed. I am the only survivor.
     Over the last two years I have lost the use of both of my legs and because of this I'm unable to walk, but I can support my weight on them. I spend my entire day in a power chair. I have also lost the use of my left arm and that hand is useless. So far, my right arm and hand are at about 60% useable. My breathing is at 83% and declining. My ability to swallow is near 50% gone. Because of this it makes it difficult to eat and feed myself. I now need assistance getting in or out of bed at all times and due to my inability to turn on my own while in bed, I need assistance with changing positions every two hours to prevent skin break down. A hospital bed has been ordered and will arrive soon.
       Oenita has become my care giver. I have a CNA that comes in 3 hours a day to help me with my personal needs while she's here. We also have a long time friend that has recently moved in our home to assist with some caregiving for both of us, who has past CNA training and career experience, along with nursing home training.
     Even under the circumstances I am able to maintain a very positive attitude. God gave Paul grace to deal with a thorn in his side when he was struct blind and He gives me more than sufficient grace to deal with the thorn in my side.
        I have 3 children, 1 adopted, two natural and a 2 year old granddaughter. Each natural decedent has a 50% chance of getting my genes. I want to see a WORLD WITHOUT ALS so my children will not face this disease. Due to last years Bucket Challenge, several new strides have been made in ALS research. According to the ALS Association, the latest advances are:
           1. Scientists funded by The ALS Association have demonstrated therapies in mouse models that significantly reduce the bad proteins developed by the two best known mutations of ALS, SOD1 and C9orf73, (the two genes I have), slowing progression by 50%. They will be moving to clinical trials.
           2. Another group demonstrated the ability to enhance the body’s process of recognizing and destroying badly folded proteins, known to be a major source of toxicity in ALS.
          3. Yet another group is able to take skin cells from ALS patients and turn them into neurons. They can then keep them alive on a substrate and study their progression, biomarkers and therapeutics.
          4. Two other groups are doing complete sequencing of over 15,000 persons with ALS to identify combinations of genes that may give rise to ALS.
      The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front.  By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. 
     We need your help with donations to help anyone already diagnosed and at risk of having ALS in the present and future. And we can rid the world of such a horrible neurological disease and to do that we need to fund more research!
     The way to donate by cash and/or check,can be sent to:
Ed Jones, PO Box 4848, Archdale, NC, 27263. Make sure checks are made out to ALSA and has my name on the " For" line. Also, Checks and credit cards can be used at the following link to my ALS donation page:   
http://webnc.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/NorthCarolina?px=7284944&pg=personal&fr_id=11531 (you can copy and paste to your browser)
     So, Please, please, consider walking with me or sponsoring me. With your help, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of people affected by this disease. I encourage you get your friends, family, neighbors, church members and coworkers involved! All funds raised will go to the ALS Association. And, thank you in advance for your help!


Due to my current circumstances, I may not be able to answer my phone. So the best way to get in touch with me is through email, which I check several times a day, however, understand that my response time may be delayed. Thank you for your understandin.
Ed

[Dave the plumber]

to all :      The letter writer Ed, is a great guy. And a greater human being. I am humbled to be his friend, and I consider him one of my better friends. I have watched him go from a healthy zany guy, like you and me, into this unjust condition he is in now in two years time. It is heart breaking to say the least
       Ed served our country for I believe 2 tours in a special forces ops unit during Vietnam when so many others  [ our politicians included ] were running over the border or getting medical deferments. His wife is a lovely lady with, as Ed said, multiple sclerosis. They have been dealt a double blow, yet somehow they maintain their optimism and love of life. 
    If you need a tax writeoff, or if you feel compelled to lend a fellow Civil War collector  a hand, I urge you to help in any way you can. Or, at least keep them in your thoughts and prayers, " but for the grace of God, so go I.."