Stuart K. Alford ALS Fund

Stuart's ALS Story

On September 11, 2001 my brother Stuart was one of the luckiest guys in the world. He was able to run down 51 World Trade Center flights of stairs to safety, shortly before tower #2 collapsed.

Eighteen years later to the day, in a sterile exam room at Columbia Hospital in New York, Stuart was delivered the worst medical diagnosis he could have received.

At 43 years of age, he was diagnosed with ALS. 

He grew up in Summit, NJ and was a standout in Soccer, Ice Hockey, and Lacrosse at The Pingry School. He went on to play Division 1 Lacrosse at Lafayette College. Dad always joked that academics was just a distraction sandwiched between athletics and his rigorous social life.

He married Jennifer, the love of his life, in 2004 and moved back to Summit to start and raise their family. Together they have three wonderful children under the age of 13. Taking after their Dad, Sloane (7th Grade) and Reed (5th Grade) have fallen in love with hockey and are ramping up for another season on the ice. Gibby (4) is the most smiley toddler you will ever meet, and loves to groove out to Jack Johnson.

Stuart and Jennifer have been in the reinsurance business since graduating from College. They met at Guy Carpenter, where Jennifer continues to work, and Stuart moved over to TransRe about 14 years ago.

While Stuart is still working, everyday tasks we all take for granted are becoming more difficult if not impossible.  Driving, shaving, taking a sip of water without a straw, tying his children's ice skates, and opening kids' juice boxes - all long gone. 

Stuart has made many trips to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment, has tried several different medications, and has been enrolled in a few clinical trials. Trips to Massachusetts have become very taxing, are likely over for Stuart, and he is actively augmenting his treatment with a Neurologist in New Jersey.

Stuart is one of the funniest, most self-effacing, generous individuals I know and would be first in line, to help you if you needed anything. Please consider a gift of any size, as the disease progresses (it is currently picking up speed), and his needs increase, his expenses are growing exponentially. We can give him a little piece of mind that his family has some funds to pay for his care and support while his superwoman wife can continue working and caring for their three young children. 

He is fortunate to have sound health insurance but needs help managing life’s increased costs. Your gift will help the family alleviate the indirect financial burden this disease will inflict on them.  This is not a tax-deductible gift, but is meaningful in removing some of the stress from this situation. 

It takes a village. Thank you for being part of this village. #Stu-CatStrong

Thank you so much for your love and support! 

Jon Alford

About ALS

When you are diagnosed with ALS you are forced to see the future before you and realize that all your dreams have vanished. That each day you must appreciate a basic skill before it has been taken from you. Life expectancy is 2-5 years and paralysis comes much sooner. (Stuart first felt ALS Symtoms in the Fall of 2018)

According to HuffPost.com, “ALS is a very expensive disease, costing patients an estimated $300,000 a year. The majority of patients bankrupt their families with the costs, and an even larger number simply can’t afford the cost to stay alive, so they don’t. Can you imagine having to stop BEING ALIVE because it’s too expensive?”