Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity celebrated the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

This groundswell of giving reaffirms that generosity is universal and powerful, and that it acts as an antidote to fear, division, and isolation.” --Asha Curran, co-founder and CEO of GivingTuesday.

Join me in supporting real change. As most know, both Alex and Ray have a progressive disease known as Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. It is in the same family as Lou Gehrig and Primary Lateral Sclerosis. This means that the upper motor cells in the brain do not communicate with the cells in the legs, hands, lower organs, and can effect other systems. Through research, in the last 19 years, they have discovered more than 100 genetic differences and thanks to you, each year we get closer and closer to a treatment and or a cure.

As a mother and wife, it does cause me grief to see both very gradually weaken. This has been particularly hard on Alex, who at 19 is just getting started. He puts on a good face and participates in rowing at the University level-Kansas University, and we could not be more proud of him. It is a lot for anyone transitioning to adulthood, hormones, future aspirations, college, etc. and then need to deal with the knowledge that all may change. He sings and has never let this slow him down, but he knows what is ahead, he sees the looks of pity which he hates, he sees when people assume things just because he walks with crutches. They rarely see his intellect or other gifts. Likewise, Ray has seen his dream job evaporate in Cardiovascular Ultrasound. He went back to school. Unfortuneatly, many older campuses are not wheelchair accessible. None of this has slowed him down. He leads a very active and independant life, but society makes it so much harder.

With more and more research, every day, the scientific teams that the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation can support are getting closer and closer. Let’s support good in the world and make a difference. The more research we support the quicker a cure can be discovered for Spastic Paraplegia Foundation, Inc.

A small or large donation, whatever is comfortable, will go a long way towards helping.

Thank you for your donation.

Mari