Dear Family and Friends,
On June 21, and for the ninth year in a row, I will be participating in the Tri-State Trek along with a few hundred other riders. Last year we bicycled 287 miles over three days from Boston to Storrs, CT; then to New Haven, CT; and finishing at Greenwich, CT on the third day. Through your generosity, the Trek raised more than $720,000 along the way. The purpose of the Trek is to defeat ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
The funds raised through your donations go directly to ALS-TDI, a research facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The ALS Therapy Development Institute and their scientists actively discover and develop treatments for ALS. They are the world's first and largest nonprofit biotech focused 100 percent on ALS research. Led by people with ALS and drug development experts, they understand the urgent need to slow and stop this disease. Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or Motor Neuron Disease (MND). It is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness, difficulty breathing and swallowing, and paralysis while leaving the senses intact. ALS attacks certain cells in the brain and spinal cord needed to keep muscles moving. Most people survive two to five years after their diagnosis, with an estimated 30,000 people in the US and 450,000 worldwide living with the disease. Currently, there is no effective treatment nor cure.
My involvement in this cause is personal as I will be riding in memory of and to specifically honor at least thirteen people I know of, some of whom have passed as a result of ALS and others who are currently battling the disease. Their names will be on the back of my jersey as I cross the finish line in Greenwich. I rode my first Trek, August, 2011, to honor the memory of a friend and neighbor, Frank DeGeorge who passed on May 11, 2011. Throughout his battle, Frank never lost his trademark sense of humor; he was always quick with a joke. Frank stayed strong to the end, displaying a level of courage that I could only hope to achieve.
I have committed to raising at least $2,500. I’ll do the hard part. I’ll push my 70 years young body over the three day, 280+ mile journey. After the successful completion of my ninth Trek, and with your help, we will have donated more than $28,000 (!) and I will have ridden my bike 2,500 miles (plus a few thousand miles in training each year) to help find a cure so that no individual and no family or friends will have to face the horror of ALS again.
Please, find it in your heart to donate ANY amount toward this cause; every dollar helps. Simply click on the link below then the DONATE button in the upper right hand corner of my Fund Raising Page and follow the directions. Thank you for your generosity!
http://tst.als.net/4frank
For Frank, and all those affected by ALS,
Vince Crescenzo (845) 978-7244
