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Michigan Chapter June Patient Services News
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health initiatives, epidemi-
ologic studies, and re-
search into biomarkers,
risk factors, and clinical
studies that identify new
treatments for the disease.
The second priority was to
appropriate $15 million to
continue the ALS Research
Program (ALSRP) at the
Department of Defense
(DOD).
Studies supported by the
DOD, Department of Veter-
ans Affairs, Harvard Univer-
sity and the Institute of
Medicine among others
repeatedly have found that
military veterans, regard-
less of branch or era of
service, are approximately
twice as likely to die from
Lou Gehrig's Disease as
those who have not served
in the military. These find-
ings were most recently
confirmed by a September
2009 study funded by the
VA and the National Insti-
tutes of Health.
Continued on page 2….
We just returned from an
exciting three days in
Washington DC for ALS
Advocacy. Advocates from
across the country met
with members of congress
and told their ALS story and
urged them to join us as
champions against Lou
Gehrig’s Disease.
The first priority included
appropriating $10 million
to continue the National
ALS Registry at the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention.
The Administration and
Congress made the estab-
lishment of a national ALS
patient registry a top prior-
ity through the enactment
of the ALS Registry Act in
2008 and by appropriating
funding to develop and
implement the registry,
including $6 million in FY
2010. These actions have
enabled the CDC/ATSDR to
launch the first phase of
the registry, including cre-
ating a national ALS regis-
try website that is expected
to enroll patients with ALS
beginning in 2010. When
fully operational the regis-
try will identify, for the first
time, the number of cases
of ALS in the U.S. and col-
lect data that is urgently
needed to help find the
causes of the disease and
how it can be treated, pre-
vented and, ultimately,
cured.
However, increased fund-
ing is necessary in FY 201
1 to fully implement the
registry, allow people with
ALS across the country to
self enroll in the registry
and enable the CDC to co-
ordinate with other federal
agencies to identify ALS
cases in all 50 states
through existing data-
bases. Moreover, funding
will facilitate the implemen-
tation of strategies that
ensure the registry cap-
tures ALS cases in rural
and urban underserved
areas. These steps are vital
elements of implementing
the ALS Registry Act and
fulfilling the promise of the
registry to advance public
Advocacy Day Update!
Special points of interest:
Advocacy Photo Album!
Details of Negative Trial Result for Talampanel
Read Mary Kay Duffie’s Story
Mark your calendar for Summer Seminars
Patient Services News
Caption describing picture or graphic.
The ALS Association, Michigan Chapter
Vo
lum
e 1
Iss
ue
3
Jun
e 2
01
0
Inside this issue:
Advocacy Day Photos 2
Talampanel Trial Update 3
Coping with a Loved One’s
Illness Seminar
3
Stem Cell Research Semi-
nar
4
Meet Joe Kulwicki, New
ALSA Staff
4
Calendar 5
Featured Family 6
In order to support our nation's
military heroes in the fight
against ALS, Congress and the
Department of Defense estab-
lished the ALS Research Pro-
gram in FY 2007. Unlike many
other research programs, which
focus on basic science, the
ALSRP is promoting transla-
tional research and is specifi-
cally designed to find new treat-
ments for ALS, a disease for
which an effective treatment
currently does not exist. The
ALSRP also is funding the best
science as funding is provided
on a competitive grant basis
and projects are peer reviewed.
While Congress has continued
to appropriate funding for the
ALSRP, including $7.5 million in
FY 2010, the current funding
level will only be able to support
approximately 3 to 4 projects.
Yet over 90 were submitted to
the program in FY 2009. As a
result, under the current level
more than 95% of submitted
projects will not receive funding.
Opportunities to discover and
deliver a treatment to veterans
will be lost, leaving them - and
all people living with the disease
- with no effective treatment
option. By appropriating $15
million for the ALSRP in FY2011,
Congress can continue this vital
program and take steps to en-
sure that our nation continues
to fight for our veterans just as
they fought for us.
We delivered and shared PALS
and CALS stories at each meet-
ing, this personal touch brought
a human factor and urgency to
our efforts. A heartfelt thanks to
all who shared stories!
Advocacy Continued...
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“We delivered and
shared PALS and
CALS stories at
each meeting, this
personal touch
brought a human
factor and urgency
to our efforts.”
On Monday June 14th, The
ALS Association Michigan
Chapter will welcome Keole-
bogile Semphadile, an inter-
national doctoral student
from Oakland University, as
she presents a seminar on
coping mechanisms for loved
one’s of the seriously ill. Ms.
Semphadile will discuss
strategies for effective cop-
ing, self care and stages of
grief during her presentation
at the Chapter’s Troy office.
Ms. Semphadile has over
twenty years experience as a
professional counselor in her
native country of Botswana
in Africa. She comes to our
Chapter as part of her doc-
toral training at Oakland Uni-
versity and is pleased to
share her extensive experi-
ence with our patients and
families in this educational
seminar.
The seminar will begin at
6:30pm and all are welcome
to attend. There is no cost to
attend this seminar, but
please RSVP to Kristen Mun-
yan, Patient Services Coordi-
nator if you are able to join
us.
The Troy office is located
at 675 E. Big Beaver, Suite
207. We are located on the
north side of Big Beaver be-
tween Rochester & Livernois.
of progression in partici-
pants with ALS treated
with placebo or either of
the 2 doses of the study
medication. While there
were more side effects
seen in participants
treated with the Talam-
panel, the dropout rates
were very similar in all
groups, making the nega-
tive results more convinc-
ing.
While this is a very disap-
pointing result for pa-
tients, caregivers, and
physicians, the convinc-
ing nature of the results
provides a clear answer
to the effectiveness of
this treatment for people
with ALS. Fortunately,
there are many other
promising drugs now be-
ing tested; it is important
for all to remain hopeful
and committed to finding
improved therapies for
ALS.
Thanks are due to the
patients who participated
in the study, as well as to
Teva Pharmaceutical In-
dustries Ltd. For funding
the study and the clinical
investigators who worked
so diligently to provide
high quality data so that
a clear result was ob-
tained.
For more information on
research being con-
ducted to improve thera-
pies for ALS, see The ALS
Association website.
A Research Update from
The ALS Association’s
National Office, May 19,
2010
On May 17, global phar-
maceutical company
Teva announced the re-
sults of the recently com-
pleted trial of Talam-
panel for people with
ALS. The results were
conclusively negative.
The ALS Functional Rat-
ing scale, a tool used to
assess changes in physi-
cal functioning in people
with ALS over time, was
the primary outcome
measure; both this meas-
ure and the other meas-
ures investigated showed
no difference in the rate
Coping with a Loved One’s Illness Seminar June 14th in Troy
Talampanel Trial Concluded with Negative Results
Page 3
“It is important for
all to remain
hopeful and
committed to
finding improved
therapies for ALS”
Join us as Ms. Keolebogile Sem-
phadile shares her thoughts on
coping with a loved one’s illness.
On June 24th The ALS Asso-
ciation Michigan Chapter will
host Dr. Merritt K. Taylor at
the Mary Free Bed ALS 2nd
Floor Conference Room as
he shares information re-
garding stem cell research
and ALS. Dr. Taylor is Assis-
tant Professor at Grand Val-
ley State University. He will
give a presentation on stem
cell research and answer
questions from attendees.
Please RSVP to Denise at
616-459-1900. The presen-
tation will address “Current
understanding of the cell
biology of ALS and related
therapeutic approaches.”
The discussion will include:
What insights do scientists
have about how ALS occurs?
Scientists have been at-
tempting to understand what
mechanisms have been dis-
rupted in ALS and recent
findings will be reviewed.
What kind of related thera-
pies are being tested or con-
sidered to prevent or stop
the disease? Scientists and
clinicians have been using
insights from cell biology to
develop therapeutic ap-
proaches towards ALS and
the current status of some of
these approaches will be
discussed.
vox as well as Artie Knack, Speech
and Language Pathologist for the
Henry A. Hoenselaar ALS Clinic at
Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit
share their expertise with PALS
and families. Thank you to our fan-
tastic speakers as well as to the
PALS and families who joined us
for these seminars. Your feedback
is always appreciated. kris-
[email protected]. For more
information about speech devices
please contact your ALS clinic or
call Kristen or Denise.
On May 19th and 20th, The ALS
Association Michigan Chapter
hosted seminars featuring dem-
onstrations of speech generat-
ing equipment that can help
improve communication for pa-
tients with ALS. A range of differ-
ent systems was demonstrated,
including eye gaze technology
that allows a person to control
their speech devise with just
their eye movements. We were
fortunate enough to have Joel
Allchin and Kelly Petri of Dyna-
ALS, grants, and third
party events. He
brings a wealth of
knowledge from his
previous role as a ex-
ecutive with the Boy
Scouts. Joe is an Eagle
Scout, lives in Sterling
Heights, and is commit-
ted to the ALS mission.
Joe grew up in the
metro-Detroit, going to
Bishop Foley High
School and receiving
his degree in Communi-
cations from Oakland
University. Joe is cur-
rently considering
working on an MBA and
a CFRE. Joe looks for-
ward to meeting entire
ALSA family and is ex-
cited to start this new
adventure.
Joe Kulwicki is the new-
est member of The ALS
Association, Michigan
Chapter Team. Joe
joined us in May as the
Development Coordina-
tor in the Troy of-
fice. Joe will be provid-
ing leadership to Gears
& Beers, metro Detroit
Walk to Defeat ALS,
Jackson Walk to Defeat
Meet our Newest Staff Member: Joe Kulwicki, Development Coordinator
Stem Cell Therapy Informational Session in Grand Rapids June
Augmentative Communication Technology Seminars Create Awareness
Page 4
Come to the June 24th
Seminar for informa-
tion on stem cell
research and ALS.
Pa
tie
nt
Se
rvic
es
Ne
ws
V
olu
me
1 I
ss
ue
3
Kelly Petri of Dynavox, demonstrates the VMax,
a speech generating device that can be con-
trolled with a touch screen or eye movements.
June 14th - Coping with a Loved One’s Illness, Featuring Keolebogile Semphadile, Professional Coun-
selor and international doctoral student from Oakland University. 6:30-8:00pm
The ALS Association Michigan Chapter Troy Office
June 24th - Stem Cell Research , Featuring Dr. Merritt K. Taylor, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Sciences
and Cell and Molecular Biology at Grand Valley State University. 6:30 - 8:00pm,
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, 2nd Floor Conference Room
July 15th - Hospice Services in ALS, Featuring In-House Hospice, 6:30 - 8:00pm,
Brighton Lion’s Club
August 4th - Respiratory Issues, Featuring Mark Orlikowski, LRT Branch Manager Airway Hospital, 6:30-8:00pm, Munson Community Health Center Meeting Room
All sessions are free to attend. Please contact Denise or Kristen to RSVP.
Page 5
Educational Conferences Scheduled Throughout Summer
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9
Kalamazoo SG
7-8:30pm
10
Call In SG 2-3pm
Troy SG 6:30-8pm
11 12
Gears & Beers Ride to
Cure ALS, Ann Arbor
13
Grand Rapids SG
2-4pm
14
Coping with a Loved
One’s Illness—Troy,
6:30-8pm
15
Call in SG
6:30-7:30pm
16 17 18 19
20 21
Bay City SG 6:30-8pm
22 23 24 Survivor’s Lunch 11:30-
1pm , Gaylord SG 2:30-
4:30pm, Stem Cell Re-
search Seminar, Grand
Rapids 6:30-8pm
25 26
27 28
Fenton SG 6:30-8pm
Ann Arbor SG 6:30-
8pm
29 30
June 2010
My name is Mary Kay and I am a 74 year
old ALS patient living in northern Michigan.
Five years ago something strange hap-
pened. It seemed as though all my friends
were going deaf at the same time. No mat-
ter what I said people would ask me to re-
peat, sometimes more than once. I didn’t
realize my speech was so slurred people
could not understand what I was saying.
Not long after that I noticed that my face
was beginning to droop. I didn’t make a
connection between the two conditions.
Looking at my face I thought I had suffered
a little stroke. Since I seemed in good
health I didn’t give it a second thought. Next
I started drooling. Again I didn’t pay any
attention, thinking it was a sign of old age. It
would be close to a year later before I was
to learn the real cause of my symptoms. I
was still not a believer, but a trip to Mayo
convinced me that I did have ALS. My ALS
is bulbar which makes it impossible for me
to speak or swallow.
The long trip home from Mayo gave me
many hours to ponder my predicament. I
thought of my friend who had died of ALS
twenty some years ago. He was totally
paralyzed and unable to speak, lying in bed
in a nursing home. That thought struck fear
in my heart, and also made me realize that
I had a limited time in which to finish any-
thing important that I had not yet accom-
plished.
I made some decisions and wrote my
final list before I reached home. I figured it
was my life, my disease, and I could make
my own rules. I would not dwell on ALS, nor
would I talk about it constantly. If people
asked me how I was doing I would say it
was a good or bad day. Nothing more. I
would resign from the organizations I had
been involved with and spend what time I
had left with my family and friends. I
would get my Trust in order, finish the
book I was writing, and have an ele-
vator installed in our home. I started
praying that God would keep me
calm, positive and productive. I soon
changed that prayer asking to be
calm, positive and patient. My dis-
ease affected many people in addi-
tion to myself. Learning how to be
patient with them is not always easy.
Along the way I learned some
important, and often disappointing
lessons. My biggest disappointment
was how little knowledge the medical
community had about ALS. That set
me off on a mission to educate as
many people as possible. I learned
that I had to be pro-active and crea-
tive. After all, this was my only body
we were talking about and it was very
important to educate myself, not just
about the many unpleasant symptoms,
but also about what equipment was
available and what kinds of help was
available in our part of Michigan. I built
myself a network of helping people
including Denise George my ALS
Michigan Patient Services Coordina-
tor, and a file of equipment informa-
tion. I was ready. When it became too
difficult for me to swallow I knew I
needed to be fed by tube. My family
and friends put together a website
where they could sign up to come help
feed me. I talked with my pharmacist
about which pills could be ground up to
go in my PEG Tube. When I reached
the point that I was regurgitating the
food from the tube which caused chok-
ing and aspirating I knew I needed a
tracheotomy. When my muscles failed
to the point that my mouth would no
longer open wide enough to brush my
teeth comfortably and I was unable to
spit out toothpaste I started using a
child size toothbrush and mouthwash.
Toothpaste made way too much foam
and mouthwash was easier to deal
with. My educational mission for both
myself and others goes on constantly.
Today my arms are beginning to
weaken but my legs are strong. I am
hooked up to a system twenty four hours a
day that keeps my trach well humidified.
Another machine is hooked up in the eve-
ning to feed me by food pump over night. I
need to use a nebulizer four times a day
and an airway clearance vest twice a day.
Each morning and evening someone has to
suction out my trach to keep my lungs
clear, a job that takes about an hour and a
half. It seems my life is controlled by equip-
ment, care, and helping people.
My symptoms have gotten worse in the
past five years but I try to keep my attitude
the same, praying to be calm, positive and
patient. Each day my life is a challenge. I
like to look at it like an adventure in which I
get to make my own decisions.
Back at the time I was diagnosed with
ALS one of the things on my list that I
wanted to accomplish was to finish the
book I was writing. Having the book to work
on was a real blessing for me, giving my
mind a positive place to be every day so I
didn’t have time to worry about my ALS.
Keeping busy and positive has been a very
important part of remaining in somewhat
good health both physically and mentally. I
did finish the book. In 433 pages Torch
Lake, the History of Was-Wah-Go-Ning
includes 673 maps, drawings and old pho-
tographs and a story covering 10,000 years
of life in the area where I live. A major un-
dertaking even for someone in good health.
For me it was a lifetime accomplishment
and a miracle.
A Lifetime Accomplishment : Mary Kay Duffy
Page 6 P
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“I did finish the book….A major
undertaking even for someone in
good health. For me it was a
lifetime accomplishment and a
miracle.
Mary Kay Duffy with her book, Torch
Lake the History of Wah-Wha-Go-Ning.
Advocates and PALS who made
the trip to Washington DC last
month had the chance to take in
a new sight— the Piece by Piece
Awareness Campaign, a major
ALS Awareness campaign devel-
oped by the Florida Chapter. The
visual impact of the display is
immensely powerful. It includes
over 200 mannequin “pieces”
that each display an epitaph
representing a Floridian who has
been diagnosed with the dis-
ease. Floridian families spon-
sored mannequins to include
their loved ones as part of the
display.
The message is simple, but
gripping “ALS is stealing our
loved ones piece by piece. Then
it steals their lives”. The display
has traveled to more than 20
locations and draws attention
wherever it goes. In Washington
DC, it was a powerful reminder
to all those who had come for
ALS Advocacy day why we were
there and what was still to be
accomplished. It also provided a
visual display of the devastation
of ALS for lawmakers. It was
proudly displayed in the Naval
Yard area of the capital for the
entirety of the ALS Association’s
Advocacy Day efforts.
For more information on the
Piece by Piece Awareness Cam-
paign, visit
www.stealingpieces.com.
honor of their loved one. Our
homepage featured a link to
follow where a donation
could be made and a virtual
candle lit. Within days, rows
of virtual candles flickered
with stories of those whom
they were lit for beside them.
Family members and friends
wrote notes to loved ones
who’d lost their battle with
With May being ALS Aware-
ness month, The ALS Asso-
ciation, Michigan Chapter
held a candlelight vigil in
honor and in memory of
those whose lives have been
effected by ALS.
All last month family and
friends had the ability to log
on to the Chapter’s website
and set a candle aglow in
ALS and words of encourage-
ment to those still fighting.
May was ALS Awareness
Month. Thank you to every-
one who lit a virtual candle
for sharing your thoughts and
for spreading awareness. It
was amazing to see your can-
dles light up our website. We
hope to continue your aware-
ness efforts year round.
caregivers the feeling that they
are not alone in the caregiving
journey.
“Passages in Caregiving” also
provides an expansive list of
resources and advocacy groups
that are available to help family
caregivers. Although not specific
to ALS, the book provides a
good guide for any family mem-
ber faced with the monumental
task of caregiving for a loved
one who is ill.
At a recent Troy Support Group
meeting one of our Caregivers of
an ALS recommended the book
“Passages in Caregiving” by Gail
Sheehy. This particular caregiver
mentioned the soothing nature
of the book.
“Passages in Caregiving” pro-
vides an informational and
calming guide for caregivers,
assuring them that although
their circumstances are unex-
pected, they are not insurmount-
able. Sheehy seeks to provide
Piece by Piece Awareness Campaign Makes a Powerful Statement
Virtual Vigil Lights up Chapter Website
Recommended Reading: Passages in Caregiving
Page 7
“Passages in
Caregiving” by
Gail Sheehy, was
recommended at
the Troy Support
Group and is
available at
Costco for $15.19.
Light a virtual candle in
honor or in memory.
675 E. Big Beaver, Suite 207
Troy, MI 48083
678 Front Street, Suite 159
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
The ALS Association, Michigan Chapter
Find us on the web:
www.alsa-michigan.org
Fig
hti
ng
Lo
u G
eh
rig
’s d
ise
ase
on
Ev
ery
Fro
nt.
Our Mission:
To lead the fight to cure ALS through global cut-
ting edge research, cutting-edge research, and to
empower people with Lou Gehrig’s disease and
their families to live fuller lives by providing them
with compassionate care and support.