JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida hosted the 25th annual Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday.
Fifty families and 500 people walked at the event to help fund research for a cure. There were 80 walking events across the nation involving nearly 50,000 participants.
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, affects nearly 18,000 people in the U.S. at any given time, and someone is either diagnosed or dies every 90 minutes.
Savannah Kelly is the associate director of the ALS Association. She said 1 in 400 people are diagnosed with ALS, so the walks bring so much awareness.
“We have multi-disability clinics at Mayo and UF Health that all of our funds get to impact and make a difference,” Kelly said.
There is much support, including from the News4JAX family. Our former executive producer, Sharon Siegel-Cohen, was diagnosed several years ago with ALS.
Unfortunately, Cohen lost her battle and passed away in 2020 at the age of 62. But Sharon’s Songbirds have rallied to support events like these and keep up the fight.
Nicole Davala understands the daily struggles of the disease. She was diagnosed with ALS in October 2024.
“Everyday is a new challenge,” Davala said. “Not being able to use your limbs or being able to walk correctly or just balance yourself is tough.”
But Davala’s friends and family, also known as the Avengers, are right behind her and the community of those affected by the disease.
“It means everything to me,” Davala said. “They are my backbone for my hard days. When I have tears in my eyes or I can’t do something, and it’s a new thing that I can’t do today, they mean everything. They’re my support system.”
Click here to donate to the Walk to Defeat ALS fund.
