Defeating ALS with Michael Stull

Hello friends, family, and new acquaintances!

Thank you for checking out this fundraising effort for Michael Stull-- incredible hubby to Rita Stull and the best Dad to Hannah, Christina, Eric and Gina Marie.

Mike was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) in January 2022. For those unfamiliar with ALS, it is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There's not a cure for this disease yet. Still, amazing organizations like The ALS Association are doing everything in their power to raise awareness and raise funds for research in this area. (To learn more about ALS and how you can help this organization, check out https://www.als.org).

Here's a helpful visual from the ALS Org website if you're unfamiliar with this disease.

To be clear, this fundraiser is a personal fundraiser for Michael Stull, not a fundraiser for the ALS org, although we highly recommend donating to them as well if this is something you grow to care about deeply, as we have.

As you can see from the image above, the out-of-pocket cost of caring for someone with ALS can be a bit overwhelming. We want this to be the last concern on Michael and Rita's minds as they navigate the many difficulties of this diagnosis, which is why we've started this Gofundme page.

Some of the most immediate needs we have are:

While this diagnosis can sometimes feel overwhelming, our family is committed to being hopeful as we walk through this with our Dad. Michael has been patient as we try to gain an understanding of what's happening in his body, and Rita has been the most courageous and fierce advocate for him throughout this process.

We thank each of you who has been there for us to pray, encourage, support and help us along the way. We value you more than words can say.

This page will probably grow and expand as we get the word out, and we will give updates about how Mike is doing, and how your giving has made a difference.

Thanks for being in the thick of this with us, we appreciate your support!

-The Stull Family