Following is a brief history of Stuart Bridges and Team Stuart, the reason I became involved in ALS-related activities:
Stuart Bridges’ long battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) began in 1998 when he choked on a waffle one morning at work. Only 40 years old, he was a tournament tennis player ranked #6 in the Southwestern U.S. in his age division. He played tennis five days a week, hiked and played in local softball leagues. So it was rather strange when his tennis game began to deteriorate. He began to tire more and more easily, and eating became a challenge. Finally, in late 1999, he played his last game of tennis.
Stuart knew something was wrong, but doctors had difficulty diagnosing his problem. After countless trips to the Mayo Clinic, a nasogastric feeding tube, a PEG feeding tube in his stomach, respiratory failure and a tracheostomy, the diagnosis came on July 30, 2001…bulbar onset ALS. Stuart’s description of receiving the news at the doctor’s office: “Being told that I had bulbar onset ALS seemed to vacuum all the sound and air out of the room.” The normal expectancy for ALS patients from the time of diagnosis is 2 to 5 years; bulbar onset patients often die sooner.
But Stuart wasn’t done…not by a longshot. With a “fifth-set” attitude, he began to fight. Team Stuart was formed in 2001 to participate in the Walk to D’Feet ALS, which is held annually to increase awareness of ALS and raise funds for patient services programs. Starting slowly, by 2003 they had raised $3,300. For the January 2005 Walk, with Stuart largely in a wheelchair, they raised $6,600. With Stuart continuing to worsen in late 2005, the team set a goal of becoming the top fundraising team for the January 2006 Walk. Aided by two articles by Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts, they raised a then-record $19,000…and yes, were the #1 fundraising team. This past January, they kept the momentum going by raising another $13,000.
Stuart continues to draw inspiration from the team’s efforts. We’re here tonight to spread Stuart’s message of “Still Going…Still Growing,” create awareness of ALS and hopefully raise funds to help search for the elusive cure. We’d like to thank Wildflower for the opportunity to share their delicious food, get the word out and let the team gather for an evening of camaraderie.
The Team Stuart flag you see at the front of the restaurant will appear at ALS Advocacy Day May 14-16 in Washington, D.C.
For more information on ALS, log on to www.alsaz.org. If you’d like to become involved with the Walk to D’Feet ALS, contact Volunteer Chairperson Kevin Riley at ihate2putt@hotmail.com.
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