Sudbury walk participants come out in hopes of beating ALS

It was a beautiful day for a beautiful walk in Sudbury's west-end Saturday morning as close to 100 people came out for the 'Walk to end ALS."

Organized by ALS Canada, the not-for-profit says it was a major step forward for them, with this being their first event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Today we have a group of individuals coming together from the Sudbury region, to support ALS and to support finding a cure for ALS, and coming together as family," said Emily Moffatt, the lead for ALS Canada's Northeast Ontario region.

Participants came out in brightly coloured shirts and formed teams, raising money to support those living with the disease.

At least $34,000 was raised, 60 per cent will go to supporting patients while 40 per cent will go to research.

"Anything makes a difference - even just us coming out today and showing Sudbury that 'hey we have individuals that are experiencing this diagnosis, they're here in the community and let's come together for them," said Moffatt.

Walk to end ALS

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, is a disease that affects the muscles and Neurons in the body, which can lead to it impact mobility of limbs, speech and swallowing.

According to ALS Canada, 4 out of every 5 Canadians pass away after their diagnosis within 2 to 5 years.

Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger came out to officially open the walk.

"The work of the volunteers and the support of the community is something that i feel is important to recognize and I'm very pleased to come out and support this year's walk," said Bigger.

Walk to end ALS

But it was Sudbury man Robert Mayer, who lives with ALS, who stole the hearts of those in the crowd. Mayer was invited to cut the ribbon as the walk/roll got underway.

"It gradually grows on you over time, sometimes it's fast, within a year and you could have complications with breathing or it could be prolonged longer than five years," he told CTV News. "In my case, my legs were numb. Obviously I'm in a wheelchair from now on and it's slightly growing to my arms where I won't have the strength to displace myself properly."

"This is a sign where people can come out and do good for society. ALS is a rare disease, it's not well known and that's why awareness is important and people coming out, they learn more about it and they have fun in doing so, so how wrong can that be," he smiled.

Mayer left his job as superintendent of education of the French catholic school board Conseil Scolaire Catholique du Nouvel-Ontario after his 2018 diagnosis had made it a necessity.