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Paula

I am here for Friends

About Me

Dear FriendsWe at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) are tremendously appreciative of any sponsorship or donation you are able to provide towards the First Annual Meridith’s Fight 4 Life Benefit Auction in memory of Joe R. Meridith, to take place at Craighead Forest Park, Jonesboro, AR on Augest 9th 2008 from 11am to 5pm. The Meridith Family and close supporters are coordinating the event and funds raised will benefit the research program at ALS TDI. The Meridith Family has made the decision to become active advocates for ALS research joining hundreds of other families, to fuel research being conducted at the ALS Therapy Development Institute, in Cambridge, Mass.ALS TDI (www. als. net), was founded in 1999 as the ALS Therapy Development Foundation. Re-named in 2006 as a result of its collaboration with MDA’s Augie’s Quest, the Institute continues its mission to discover and develop drugs to treat ALS. It excels in identifying novel disease targets, discovering compounds that may act against these targets, and screening these potential treatments toward bringing viable therapeutics to the clinic.Donations from passionate supporters drive the Institute’s research. The pace of research can be accelerated with your help. Any contribution you are able to provide will increase the amount of funds raised by the First Annual Meridith’s Fight 4 Life Benefit Auction, thereby increasing the funds generated for ALS TDI. With over 80% of all funds generated going directly to researching a treatment, every contribution has an immediate and focused impact on finding a cure for ALS.Please consider being a part of this community event and also a part of our mission as we seek to find a cure for this devastating disease.Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions you may have about ALS TDI and our work. For your records our Tax ID number is 043 462 719. I can be reached at 617.441.7209 or [email protected]. Also, please visit our website at www. als. net or the event website at www.meridithsfight4life.webs.com/ Thank you in advance for your support of this important event.Sincerely,Dana Meridith Copeland ALS TDI Ambassador PO BOX 2 Lake City, AR 72437 870-219-4651Paula Meridith Rothfuss ALS TDI Co-Ambassador PO BOX 21 Lake City, AR 72437Alicia Favicchio Event Coordinator Buy this Stamp to help support ALS research for the cure of this terrible disease
White_Rose, Never Give Up Le... - Customized by DCopeland1965
Get this custom stamp at ZazzleBuy either a key chain or bracelet for $5, all proceeds go to als.net Buy a decal for $10, all proceeds go to als.netSend check or money order with your order to: ALS Find A Cure Dana Copeland Po Box 2 Lake City, AR 72437

My Interests

DCopeland1965's Gallery at Zazzle What is ALSAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually lead to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. "A" means no or negative. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means nourishment---"No muscle nourishment." When a muscle has no nourishment, it "atrophies" or wastes away. "Lateral" identifies the areas in a person's spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region.As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.NervesWhat Types of Nerves Make Your Body Work Properly? (from Living with ALS, Manual 1: What's It All About?)The body has many kinds of nerves. There are those involved in the process of thinking, memory, and of detecting sensations (such as hot/cold, sharp/dull), and others for vision, hearing, and other bodily functions. The nerves that are affected when you have ALS are the motor neurons that provide voluntary movements and muscle power. Examples of voluntary movements are your making the effort to reach for the phone or step off a curb; these actions are controlled by the muscles in the arms and legs.The heart and the digestive system are also made of muscle but a different kind, and their movements are not under voluntary control. When your heart beats or a meal is digested, it all happens automatically. Therefore, the heart and digestive system are not involved in ALS. Breathing also may seem to be involuntary. Remember, though, while you cannot stop your heart, you can hold your breath - so be aware that ALS may eventually have an impact on breathing.Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific understanding regarding the physiology of this disease.While there is not a cure or treatment today that halts or reverses ALS, there is one FDA approved drug, Rilutek®, that modestly slows the progression of ALS as well as several other drugs in clinical trials that hold promise. Importantly, there are significant devise and therapies that can manage the symptoms of ALS that help people maintain as much independence as possible and prolong survival. It is important to remember that ALS is a quite variable disease; no two people will have the same journey or experiences. There are medically documented cases of people in whom ALS ‘burns out,’ stops progressing or progresses at a very slow rate. No matter what your individual course or situation may be, The ALS Association and your medical team are here to help.

I'd like to meet:

My dad in heaven, he lost his life to ALS!
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Music:


a href="http://www.myspace.com/gavinmikhail" target="_blank" HUNTER BRUCKS .. Clue and the Honkytones@Patsy's Cowgirl Cafe on FunnyOrDie.com ..

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Heroes:

I've lost at least 11 members of my family from ALSJoe R. Meridith (my Dad) Died 4-14-1983 of ALS.Patricia Gaskins (Dad's Sister) Died 1-2007 of ALS.Vernadean Hughes (Dads Cousin)Died 1-26-1998 of ALS.Roger Pickett (Dad's Cousin) Died 2000 of ALS.Thomas Meridith (Dad's Uncle) Died 1979 of ALS.Betty Coleman (Dad's Cousin) Died 1998 of ALS., and more!

My Blog

Items up for 1st Annual Meridith Family Auction

This is just the start, we are getting new items in most every day. I will try to add them as they come. Custom Framed Lou Gehrig print This handsome 25" x 30" Wooden Framed item includes two photos o...
Posted by Paula on Fri, 16 May 2008 06:07:00 PST