Joan Gassaway Fearless Fight of #ALS
Donation protected
Dear Family and Friends of Joan Devore Gassaway,
Joan has been fighting ALS with the support of her beloved husband, Eddie and the rest of her family and church family, but as you know #ALS is a tough opponent. If you know Joan at all she has always been a doer, giver and helper. Her smile radiates pure joy and her love of the Lord. In fact...I think of her as "Joy- Filled Joan."
ALS is trying to steal her joy. In the last year she has had to give up so many things she loved doing. She loved her job and work family at Sumitomo. She loved hosting family dinners and church events at her home. She also loved running races to support causes near and dear to her heart and she made so many friends while winning race after race in her age division.
While ALS has taken a lot from her it hasn't touched her heart. Her beautiful eyes continue to shine with love for of all the people in her life and her faith in God has not wavered.
There are so many people who love her and Eddie and her family. This is your chance to help with Joan's medical expenses so they can concentrate on just loving Joan. Fighting ALS is hard, but loving Joan....that's the easy part.
Let's give Joan and Eddie a big "thumbs up" (that's Joan's go to sign) and help ease their burden. Thank you on their behalf. They are feeling your love and prayers.
(To help others know about this fundraiser please share on all your social media channels.)
UPDATE FEBRUARY 8 2022
Thank you friends. We are so close to meeting our goal! You are amazing but we can't stop now.
Why? Because the cost of ALS is unbelievable. If you want to read about it yourself you can by click here
Here is what it says about just PART of the cost.
Rilutek, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ALS, typically costs up to $12,000 a year. Patients on an ALS forum[1] report Rilutek costs of about $900 to $1,000 a month.
Physical therapy, which is sometimes prescribed to improve strength and flexibility, can cost $50 to $350 per session.
Costs of basic medical equipment, including a wheelchair, patient lift and suction machine for excess saliva can total $50,000, according to a fact sheet on ALS[2] from the American Brain Foundation. Costs depend on the type of equipment. For example, at SpinLife.com, power wheelchairs[3] cost $1,500 to $5,000 or more. At SpinLife.com, electric patient lifts[4] cost about $1,000 to more than $6,000.
A tracheostomy, a hole created surgically in the throat to allow for ventilation, can cost as much as $150,000. Most ALS patients eventually require a tracheostomy and ventilator. Invasive ventilation[5] can cost $150,000-$330,000-plus per year, mostly for home health care, according to the ALS Hope Foundation.
As you can see this disease is a tough one for so many reasons but we are in this for the long haul. We are running this race with Joan and we are not going to stop and we are asking you to please run with us.
Think about groups of people you can share this GoFundMe with, people Joan has worked with, church friends, family members who may not know, her high school classmates (Metcalfe Class of 1973), people she ran races with. You know someone who can help. Just share the link with them and ask them to pray, donate, pray some more. Every night I'm asking Jesus to get this gofundme to people who are like Joan, doers, helpers, givers. If you are reading this thank you for what you have done and please don't stop. Share with others.
In the spring Lakeetia Oleary and Jessica Tucker are planning a walk/hike in Joan's honor. I'll update you on that later. Until next time, #thumbsupforJoan is still growing and we appreciate each and everyone of you more than you know!
UPDATE FEBRUARY 8 2022
Thank you friends. We are so close to meeting our goal! You are amazing but we can't stop now.
Why? Because the cost of ALS is unbelievable. If you want to read about it yourself you can by click here
Here is what it says about just PART of the cost.
Rilutek, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ALS, typically costs up to $12,000 a year. Patients on an ALS forum[1] report Rilutek costs of about $900 to $1,000 a month.
Physical therapy, which is sometimes prescribed to improve strength and flexibility, can cost $50 to $350 per session.
Costs of basic medical equipment, including a wheelchair, patient lift and suction machine for excess saliva can total $50,000, according to a fact sheet on ALS[2] from the American Brain Foundation. Costs depend on the type of equipment. For example, at SpinLife.com, power wheelchairs[3] cost $1,500 to $5,000 or more. At SpinLife.com, electric patient lifts[4] cost about $1,000 to more than $6,000.
A tracheostomy, a hole created surgically in the throat to allow for ventilation, can cost as much as $150,000. Most ALS patients eventually require a tracheostomy and ventilator. Invasive ventilation[5] can cost $150,000-$330,000-plus per year, mostly for home health care, according to the ALS Hope Foundation.
As you can see this disease is a tough one for so many reasons but we are in this for the long haul. We are running this race with Joan and we are not going to stop and we are asking you to please run with us.
Think about groups of people you can share this GoFundMe with, people Joan has worked with, church friends, family members who may not know, her high school classmates (Metcalfe Class of 1973), people she ran races with. You know someone who can help. Just share the link with them and ask them to pray, donate, pray some more. Every night I'm asking Jesus to get this gofundme to people who are like Joan, doers, helpers, givers. If you are reading this thank you for what you have done and please don't stop. Share with others.
In the spring Lakeetia Oleary and Jessica Tucker are planning a walk/hike in Joan's honor. I'll update you on that later. Until next time, #thumbsupforJoan is still growing and we appreciate each and everyone of you more than you know!
Organizer and beneficiary
Teresa Kindred
Organizer
Summer Shade, KY
Eddie Gassaway
Beneficiary