The 7th annual ALS Walk took place in Bakersfield on Oct. 2, in an effort to raise money to benefit local patients living with the disease.
Walking groups gathered to raise funds and support their loved ones as well as groups that walked to honor the memory of a loved one that passed away.
ALS, which stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the famed Yankees baseball player of the 30s that passed away from the disease.
People of all ages took part in the event that started at Riverwalk Park on Stockdale Highway.
Participants trekked along the Bakersfield bike path to the Elephant Bar, then circled back to the park where they were met with lunch provided by Coconut Joe’s restaurant.
According to Stacy Inman, chairperson of the ALS Walk, between 400 to 500 people participated in the walk and mostly consisted of people from the 20 teams that participated.
She also estimated that about 60 percent of the teams walked in remembrance of someone that has passed away.
Inman participated in the walk with her group, Mike’s Miracles, which is named after her husband Mike Inman, who has been living with the disease for 11 years.
Inman briefly discussed what ALS is, who it can affect and about how it affects the body.
“It’s a terminal disease for everyone, so a lot of people don’t know that any person, black, white, brown, yellow, man, woman, anyone, can get this disease.
“It’s a neurological disease, and it essentially shuts down the signals, the electrical signals, from your brain to your muscles. And so that slowly shuts down anywhere along your spine and slowly paralyzes the person until [he or she] passes away.”
According to Inman, the youngest person in Kern County to get diagnosed was an 18-year-old male who passed away a few years after diagnosis.
The oldest person diagnosed is an 83-year-old, who still living in Bakersfield.
Inman also said that 80 percent of patients diagnosed will pass away within two to five years.
Prior to the event, the walk had raised over $530,000 for services in Kern County, though not all of the money raised goes toward services, 13 percent goes toward administration costs, while the other 87 percent goes toward services for patients, according to Angie Thorpe, the event’s coordinator.
Inman noted that Bakersfield is one of the highest grossing cities in their chapter, which consists of 31 counties from San Francisco to the Orange County borderline and amounts to about 70 percent of the state, according to Thorpe.
“Within our chapter, which is called the Golden West Chapter, I think we’re the second highest grossing walk, only behind Los Angeles County – that’s the only county that raises more than us,” said Inman.
One of the participants in the event was 63-year-old Marvin Fisher, who was diagnosed with ALS three years ago. Assisted by his family, Fisher participated in the walk in a wheelchair because of his condition progressively getting worse.
Fisher shared his difficulties as he discussed how he no longer has the ability to fully manipulate his arms and legs.
“I can’t even button a shirt because the manipulation of my fingers is gone. It’s the closest thing to being paralyzed that you can be,” said Fisher.
Fisher felt that his participation with the event and the organization are beneficial to him because of the support he receives and the strength it gives him.
“It brings hope to me, because I know that there are people that care about you. Because most of the time you feel isolated from the rest of the community, because people can’t share your concerns, or your outlook, or your frustrations, or your hope for the future because they don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Fisher before he added, “With the research, and the people’s concerns, it kind of keeps the spark of hope in me.”
The total amount raised at the event was $25,996.55. The total amount raised for the year was $68,979.55.
Walks to defeat are held across the nation in conjunction with the ALS association, a nationwide organixation.
For more information on services, programs and support groups, including the Bakersfield support group, visit www.alsala.org.