Wednesday, September 3, 2014

The Cold Wet Facts…

The most recent storm to hit the internet is the “Ice Bucket Challenge” that is being done to support the ALS foundation.

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a terrible debilitating disease that is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It attacks the nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. It’s an ugly thing to see let alone come down with.

According to ALSA, the official organization that raises money to fight this disease and support it’s victims, two people per one hundred thousand will contract this disease and die from it in America every year. The recent Ice Bucket Challenge craze on the internet was wildly successful. Millions of dollars were raised to combat this affliction. What you did was pour a bucket of ice water over your head and donate $10.00 to ALS. You then challenge your friends to do the same. If you don’t do the challenge in 24 hours you are supposed to send them $100.00. You video this tremendously selfless feat and upload it to the internet to shame your friends publicly into joining the movement. This internet phenomenon spread faster than Herpes at a week long rock concert. The sad part is most people don’t send in their $10.00. They just want to look good and have some fun with their friends

Saturday, 20 September 2014 I will be walking in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. I hope to raise some money for the AHA for combating and researching Heart Disease.

Why? You Ask?

Simple Answer. Heart Disease kills one in four Americans. Period. That means you have a 25% chance of dying from cardiovascular disease. Read it again, YOU HAVE A 25% CHANCE OF DYING OF HEART DISEASE. Everyone knows someone who has had a heart attack. I mean KNOWS someone. Facebook friends and twitter twats don’t count. YOU personally know someone who has died of cardiovascular disease.

Heart Disease kills 10 (ten) times as many WOMEN as Breast Cancer.

In the next 20 minutes 30 Americans will die from cardiovascular disease.

I am in no way belittling any other charity or organization here. One of my closest friends is in a fight for her life against Breast Cancer. Human female breasts are some of the most beautiful things ever invented. I even shaved my head to help support my dear friend, although I don't look as sexy bald as she does.

But I am dying of Heart Disease. My support and efforts are for this cause.

I haven’t been able to walk a hundred yards in one outing in over two years let alone a mile. Hopefully I will be able to do it now. I'm pretty sure I can.

I have been beyond fortunate with the care and love of my Wifey, my friends, physicians and nursing staff who have kept me alive for so long. (I refer to them all as "Team Chuckie"!)  The experimental Cardiac Stem Cell injections I received last June are truly the stuff of science fiction. Whoever would have thought that one day we would be able to stimulate the growth of new arteries on the heart muscle itself thus repairing damaged tissue from a heart attack? One day we may actually find a way to completely beat this curse that kills one quarter of Americans.

I hope I am alive to see that day.

But if I am not, I will go to Flying Spaghetti Monster Heaven knowing I did what I could to try and save your life. Yes, you reading this right now, YOUR LIFE.

You can donate to my favorite cause or sign up to walk with me at   

http://firstcoastheartwalk.kintera.org/teamchuckie 

And you don’t even have to get wet!