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Fort Myers Walk to Defeat ALS Saturday in Estero

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An annual walk planned for this weekend in Estero will help raise funds for a worthy cause.

The Fort Myers Walk to Defeat ALS will take place Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at MundoMax Playland at the Miromar Outlets in Estero. Check-in and registration for the one-mile walk will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Kaila Williams, senior regional development manager for The ALS Association’s Florida Chapter, explained that the annual fundraiser was previously organized by a local woman and walker.

“It really grew into an event that we can now host on behalf of the chapter,” she said.

Last year, the walk raised approximately $25,000.

“Our goal this year was $25,000,” Williams said on Tuesday.

“We actually exceeded that,” she added. “We’re just shy of $40,000 right now.”

About 200 people were registered to take part.

Organizers expect an estimated 250 people to register the day of the event.

“We don’t charge registration fees,” Williams said. “We just encourage them to give what they can.”

She noted that children have donated 50 cents.

“It’s really about the thought of coming together as a community,” Williams said.

ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects a person’s nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis.

“We don’t know what causes it or have a treatment for it,” she said.

“It is life-threatening,” Williams added.

Proceeds raised from the walk will allow the local chapter to sustain care services for ALS patients, along with support research. She noted that 90 cents of every dollar goes back into the program.

“We really try to think of all the ways we can support ALS patients and try to cover all of those bases,” Williams said.

To register for the walk in advance, visit online at: www.WalktoDefeatALS.org.

People can also contact Kaila Williams at 813-637-9000, extension 119.

“I think our focus is really about building that community support for people with ALS,” she said.

Williams noted that they often feel misunderstood and do not want to be alone.

“Their mind is completely there,” she said. “They’re literally stuck within their own bodies.”

Miromar Outlets is at 0801 Corkscrew Road in Estero.