SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The seventh annual Rock to Defeat ALS concern will be Saturday, June 11, from 7 p.m. to midnight at the South Orange Elks Lodge, 220 Prospect St. in South Orange; it will be hosted by “SO/MA’s Legacy,” a Walk to Defeat ALS team.
Two great bands, 3rd Gear and Howlin’ Poets will play. A silent auction, tricky tray, pizza from Bunny’s and other wonderful food, and door prizes all add up to lots of fun. Arthur Cohen and his PickALS — http://www.pickals.org — will be there selling his yummy pickles. All funds raised will be donated to The ALS Association.
South Orange resident Meg Marlowe started the fundraiser in honor of her mother, Elaine Kall Marlowe, a beloved South Orange librarian, whose life was taken at the young age of 58 in June 1983 from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The walk team, initially named Lainey’s Legacy in honor of Marlowe’s mother was recently changed to honor many in the area who are now living with and dying from ALS. The decision was made to change the name to SO/MA’s Legacy, in honor of all those in the SOMA community who have battled this unbeatable foe, including South Orange resident Dave Adox, who recently lost the fight for his life.
“In 1980, when my mom was diagnosed, many had never heard of ALS,” event organizer Meg Marlowe said in a release. “The ALS Association was not in existence. Mommy received her help from the Muscular Dystrophy Association. When Lou Gehrig gave his famous farewell speech in Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, the public may have read about ALS in the papers, but it was considered a very rare disease at the time. I am sure that without reference to Lou, many never gave it another thought.
“The disease is still considered rare by the CDC, with approximately 5,600 new diagnoses a year, roughly one every 90 minutes,” she continued. “But look at this way: This is one of the worst ways to live and die that I know of, and every 90 minutes someone is told they are going to have to go through this … and every 90 minutes, someone is losing their battle with ALS. So this disease disposes of its victims, and then starts over with new ones. The average lifespan for those suffering with ALS is two to five years. That’s some chilling statistics to me.”
Marlowe added, “We are ‘fighting by the seat of our pants’ doing battle against the formidable foe that is ALS.”
Donate to SO/MA’s Legacy online by visiting this website.
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