Riggs Rally Against ALS

Update: On 2/26/16 Nancy lost her 6 month battle with ALS. She died beautifully and peacefully at home in the presence of her loving husband and three children. We fully believe that she is in a much better place and has been freed from the wrath of ALS. She will be terribly missed.

Nancy Riggs is a loving wife, mother, grandma, great-grandma, sister, daughter & friend. Her family and friends know her for her kindness and the generosity of her gentle, loving spirit. 

In May 2015, Nancy reached to pick up a fork with her left hand and noticed she couldn’t grip it. Over the next few weeks she continued to lose strength in her left hand and found it increasingly difficult to handle things. After several months, numerous tests and regular visits to doctors and specialists, Nancy and her husband Marsh were blindsided with three life changing letters: A-L-S. That diagnosis was made on August 20, 2015, just four short months ago. What has transpired in the past four months has been shocking and heart wrenching to say the least... Nancy’s ALS is progressing more rapidly than any of us could have imagined. Initially ALS completely stole the use of her left hand and arm. Shortly there after it robbed her of her ability to walk, and just in time for her 75th birthday it claimed the use of her right hand as well. Most recently ALS has stolen Nancy's ability to speak, leaving her with a fully functioning, intelligent mind with little means to communicate or engage in conversation. In short. ALS is a brutal and inhumane disease that no one should have to endure.

Our saving grace is that Nancy has a strong Christian faith and a wonderful support system of family and friends who have rallied around her during this difficult time. As debilitating as the progression of this disease has been, Nancy is an incredible inspiration to us all, maintaining a positive attitude and handling her plight with tremendous dignity. Her courage, strength, faith, hope and love for others shines through on a daily basis… and although ALS is slowly but surly taking over her body, it will never be able to take away those qualities that truly make her who she is. 

Please keep Nancy & Marsh, her wonderful husband of 30 years, and the rest of the family, in your thoughts and prayers as our battle with ALS becomes increasingly difficult each day. Our appreciation for all the love and support we’ve received is immeasurable. 

Our personal experience with ALS has motivated us to do our part to help raise funds for continued research. Our hope and prayer is that sometime in the very near future a treatment and/or cure will be found, so that other families wont have to endure this horrific disease. Please consider helping us put an end to ALS by making a donation to ALSTDI.

**WHAT IS ALS? Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive, non-curable neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement, paralyzing the body but leaving the mind intact. Patients with ALS live on average two to five years following diagnosis. Currently, there is no cure and no effective treatment. Someone is diagnosed with ALS every 90 minutes, and the disease can strike anyone, anywhere, at any age. About 30,000 people in the US - and about 450,000 worldwide - are living with ALS.  The disease is too rare to be a major financial incentive to pharma and therapeutic developers.  A small number of organizations - foremost among them ALS TDI(Therapy Development Institute) - have taken it upon themselves to advance investigations with a motive simply to find effective treatments.

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