With her mother in mind, a Richmond store owner is fundraising to support ALS research and patient care in B.C.
Susanna Garrido, owner of Sprinkle’s Gelato in Steveston, is hosting a fundraiser on May 15 where all the sales from baked goods and $1 from each ice-cream cone sold will be donated to ALS Society’s annual Move to Cure event.
Move to Cure is an annual signature event organized by the ALS Society that brings peoples together to walk, run or roll to raise funds for people battling ALS in B.C. and the Yukon.
Garrido told the Richmond News that ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) impacted her entire family when it took her mom’s life away over 15 years ago.
"Some people will start losing functions of their legs, and they have to go to a wheelchair, then they will lose the mobility in their arms. Lots of people lose speech and their bodies become very fragile,” said Garrido.
According to ALS Society of BC, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease that gradually paralyzes people because the brain is no longer able to communicate with the muscles of the body that we are typically able to move at will. Over time, as the muscles of the body break down, someone living with ALS will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow, and eventually breathe.
"In my mom's case, she got a lung infection when she was battling ALS and that just kind of accentuates everything because she didn't have the strength in her muscles. It's absolutely terrible," said Garrido.
And the worst part is there is still no cure.
Most people, she added, living with ALS rely on their caregivers to take care of them at home.
Garrido was grateful for ALS Society’s support by providing her mom a wheelchair, a hospital bed and a wheelchair ramp for vehicles, which made travelling easier for her.
“(ALS Society) covers everything and they work with a company that comes in (to your homeand equips everything.
Garrido said these kind gestures lifted so much pressure from her shoulder because the wheelchair alone could cost $50,000 for a family.
“They (People from ALS Society) do a wonderful job and they're like family to us. We know everybody that works there,” said Garrido.
Because of the caring and the support that the society has provided for her mom and family, Garrido is motivated to give back to the ALS community.
