Dear Family and Friends:
An ALS diagnosis is devastating. For Kerry, it quickly meant the end of conducting orchestras as the ALS first took hold in his arms. He had to cancel guest conducting engagements in Europe and watch from the sidelines as his successor conducted his beloved Toronto Concert Orchestra at its summer festival. Mere months later he would resign from Classical 96.3 FM where he had worked for more than 30 years as an on-air host, sharing his infectious love of music with with and enthusiasm.
ALS Canada quickly became a lifeline for Kerry and our family. Compassionate and caring, the support team helped navigate the endless stream of paperwork and provided essential items (chair lift, wheelchair, wheelchair ramps, hospital bed, hoyer lift) that enabled Kerry to live his final chapter at home with his family.
Birders For ALS evolved from my brief escapes to birds the garden during my time as a ALS caregiver. I could not have maintained my ability to care for Kerry had it not been for the balance that the joy of birding bird provided.
The pupose of Birders for ALS: A Kerry Stratton Legacy Project is to raise awareness and funds for ALS Canada (Ontario Chapter) and to promote the mental health benefits of birding.
Support for Birders for ALS will help to create a better reality for people and families living with ALS by enabling access to support services and equipment. Funds raised will also support research so that one day soon ALS will be a treatable, not terminal disease. Many leading ALS researchers believe that effective treatment options are now a matter of when, not if, and that research discovery is limited only by the amount of funding available to pursue it. This makes my fundraiser an important vehicle for progress, so please support my efforts.
ALS robs you of your ability to walk, talk, and eventually breathe.
2-5 year life expectancy
2-3 people are diagnosed with ALS every day in Canada
90% are sporadic cases (unknown cause), 5-10% familial (inherited through a mutated gene)
2500-3000 people are living with ALS in Canada
$150000 - $250000 is teh cost to family over the course of the illness
There is no cure