I want to share with you a story about a good friend of mine with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). In 2009, my friend and business partner John Muscatello asked if I could take a look at his brother Mike’s computer. Prior to meeting Mike, John explained that his brother was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and that I may or may not have trouble understanding him. We visited Mike’s and decided that his computer was out of date and it was in his best interest to purchase a new computer. A few days later I delivered his new computer, installed it, and showed him some of the new features. After working with Mike for a few hours, I found myself communicating with him just as easy as I would with any of my friends. I was confused on the disease because like many others I didn’t know much about it or understand it. When I returned to the office, I found myself on Google looking up as much ALS information as I could.Before I knew it, I had 25 windows opened, all of which pertained to ALS. Here are some of the results that astonished me: (Source: ALSA.org)
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Approximately 30,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with ALS with about 5600 new cases each year.
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20% live five years or more, 10% will survive more than ten years, 5% will live 20 years.
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ALS can stop progressing and can reverse at any time (these are very small numbers)
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ALS can affect anyone at any time.
About a month or so later, Mike accompanied John to the office for our grand opening. John and I showed him around and he was interested in our services and the new business his brother was now a part of. During the event we introduced Mike to many of our friends and customers and found that many of the people were interested in his story. At the end of the day I found myself wondering what I could do to make a difference.
Just a few days later Mike asked to speak with John and I about a project he had been thinking about for some time. Without hesitation I asked him if he would be able to come to our office to meet. During this meeting we talked about the ability of our company to help Mike start a non-profit organization to raise money and help those affected by Lou Gehrig’s disease. Our company could help by designing a website with the ability to reach a nationwide footprint. After some collaborating we came up with the name ALSLife. Our next step was to design a logo that fit the organization. This is what we came up with:
The concept of this logo was a combination of a person reaching out to make a difference and looking toward a brighter future. The primary goal was to include the domain name in the logo structure, which enables all of our advertising efforts the ability to direct traffic to the website. Once the logo was completed, we were in a position to develop the website. The ALSLife.org website is scheduled to launch in April 2010.
Michael Muscatello incorporated ALSLife in Pennsylvania as a non-profit, non-stock corporation. Once the corporation documents were approved, Mike decided to launch the first fundraiser. Mike purchased 1500 t-shirts for both men and women, with the ALSLife logo on the breast. The tag-line on the shirts differs slightly and reads: “I Joined the fight against Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. The shirts will be available for purchase on the ALSLife website, along with some of our direct partner sites and vendors.
How is Mike’s story is so unique? Mike is currently in his 13th year battling the disease. His motivation and friendship has helped me in many different ways. He is the definition of why a person should never give up even when faced with difficulties. I feel his story should be heard by everyone because it encourages people to always stay positive.
As research continues to find the cause of this life threatening disease, we should all contribute in some way, to find a cure. There are some very strong people out there like Mike who deal with hardships far better than I feel I ever could. That strength alone puts a smile on my face. I hope that I have the ability to work with Mike on future projects and interact with more people affected by this disease. You can find more information about ALSLife Inc. and Mike Muscatello online. I encourage you to share your ALS story or thoughts below.
