Supporter of the WALK to END ALS
The ALS Society of Prince Edward Island was incorporated in 1984, and in the beginning years, we were primarily a fund-raising and awareness building group.
It was in 1989/90 that we spread our wings, and slowly started to build a Support Services Program. It is through that program, which put us in direct contact with families, through regular home visits, that our partnership with several healthcare groups commenced. We became involved in the Provincial Palliative Care Planning Committee, starting a wonderful relationship, which has grown substantially, with Home Care Teams, and reached out to Hospice PEI. Doors opened to physicians in the community, and in various specialties, as well as to allied healthcare professionals. We work together, as a family, with service clubs, private industry and healthcare providers to help Islanders and their families affected by ALS.
Throughout our history, we have seized every opportunity possible to educate, not only families and the general public about ALS, but also Registered Nurse students, Resident Care Worker students, LPN’s students, Home Care teams, and Community Service Groups. We encourage healthcare professionals to access our information and education services. In 2004, Stan MacNevin and Ronnie MacLennan, put their faces behind our first ALS Walk. It is through the countless efforts of such individuals and many families, who have lived, or who are now living with ALS, that the ALS Society continues to grow in addressing the needs of people living with this disease.
There is no cure for ALS, but more and more, we are learning what can be done to enhance life. Funds from the ALS Walk and other fundraising activities have enabled us to buy BiPAP machines to provide non-invasive home ventilator support, Cough Assist Units, ceiling tracking, and stair lifts. 40% of funds raised from the walk go towards research in efforts to end ALS.