Mark Kravitz ALS Memorial Fund

In April 2011, the Kravitz family received the diagnosis that Mark had ALS.  Usually the first thing you do is go information-hunting; what is ALS, how is it caused, what are the treatments, is there a cure?  ALS is a disease that attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.  ALS causes muscle weakness that affects mobility and speech and ultimately results in death.  Quickly I learned what little else there was to know about ALS.  No one knows what causes ALS, there are no effective treatments and no cure.  Absolutely crushing. On September 30, 2012 ALS took Mark from us at the age of 62.  
 

My Uncle Mark always enjoyed running.  Below is a picture of him at the Fairfield Half Marathon in 2010.  ALS effects every patient differently.  For Mark, because he had the bulbar form of ALS, his speech and upper body were affected first.  His legs stayed strong and he ran for as long as he could and his doctors allowed.

I am running the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th.  I can think of nothing more fitting than to run 26.2 miles in memory of Mark R. Kravitz and raise money for research and development of drugs with the goal that one day others with ALS can have hope.  When I mentioned this to my Aunt Wendy, his wife of 40 years, she recalled fondly Mark's law school days at Georgetown and them heading to the Capital to cheer on the runners of Marine Corps Marathon.  

I am raising money for ALS TDI which was founded by an ALS patient’s family who shares the same frustrations about lack treatments for ALS.  TDI's main focus is drug development for the significant unmet medical need of this devastating disease.  I know myself and the Kravitz family believe in this organization and support them in their mission to treat and cure ALS. 

Thank you for your support,

Melanie

(bib# 23993) 

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