At 51 years old, Angela Keist was an active mother of two grown kids who loved getting outside for a walk every day.
But in early 2010, she felt a tingling in her leg, and she was getting progressively weaker. By the summer, she was in a wheelchair and, that Christmas, she had difficulty breathing.
In January 2011, Angela died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
That summer, her daughter, Vanessa Keist, organized the Tri-Cities' first ALS Walk, an event that drew about 150 people and raised some $10,000. This year - the walk is tomorrow - Keist hopes to see an even bigger crowd and aims to raise $15,000 for ALS research. "It's really, really devastating. There's no cure and only minimally effective treatments, so we really wanted to help in any way we could," Keist said.
Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS is a rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease in which the motor neurons carrying messages to the muscles die. When the muscles fail to receive messages from the brain, they atrophy and die, leaving the person immobilized.
About 80% of people with ALS die within two to five years. It's the most common cause of neurological death in Canada, killing two to three adult Canadians every day; about 3,000 Canadians over 18 currently live with ALS.
Keist's mom died just a couple of weeks before she graduated from BCIT as a registered nurse. She wanted to start a walk close to her Port Moody home after seeing how difficult it was for someone with ALS to get around.
"I recruited my brother and a couple of close friends... we worked so hard," Keist said. "It's like a second full-time job - it's so much work but it's so worth it."
This year's walk promises more free family fun, including live music, face painting and a bouncy castle for the kids. The 3.5-km walk is accessible for all ages and abilities, starting at Lafarge Lake and looping around Town Centre park.
To keep the energy levels up, there will be a barbecue and refreshments, as well as silent auction and raffle prizes that include Grouse Mountain lift tickets, spa certificates, family passes for the Vancouver Aquarium and more.
Money raised from corporate sponsors and walk participants collecting pledges goes to the ALS Society of BC and Yukon for research and support services for those living with ALS.
According to the ALS Society, research in the last six months includes five global studies into new treatments, earlier detection and, possibly, a cure. In the past decade, the average lifespan of people living with ALS has extended by a full year.
The second annual ALS Walk is Saturday, Aug. 11 at Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam's Town Centre Park on Pinetree Way. Festivities start at 10 a.m. and the walk at 11 a.m. Visit www.walkforals.ca for more information.
