Help Paul Gralen Fight ALS & Prolong Life

Our friend Paul Gralen, has been diagnosed with ALS.

Joanne and I have known Paul since 1978 when we met at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. In the many years since, Paul has worked as an Artist, a Theatre Professional and a Teacher, and has brought love, creativity and joy to every endeavor he has undertaken.

Out of college, he served as Technical Director at The American Stage Company in St. Pete, Fl. (where he met his lovely wife Beth Orr), and then spent many years teaching Art & Technical Theatre at Evergreen State College in Washington, Sacred Heart and Menlo School in Atherton, and Greene Middle School in Palo Alto (previously Jordan M.S.), where he was known as the inimitable "Mr. G".

Paul always brought passion, humor, a warm soul and a deep sense of caring to each group of people he committed to. Over the years he has touched thousand of lives!

Now, we feel it is our turn to touch Paul's life so that he feels that same deep sense of caring from us.

Shortly after retiring from teaching, Paul was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a.k.a. "Lou Gehrig's Disease"), for which there is no cure. There are, however, very promising treatments that the FDA has not approved for use in this country, and certain non-medical therapies which can sometimes roll back ALS symptoms, or at least, very effectively, slow them down and prolong life. One of the most promising is Stem Cell therapy, which currently costs about $150,000 a year (including travel expenses) to access. Basically, every year he gets this therapy, he has a chance to prolong his life and functionality another year. None of the medications and therapies Paul is exploring are covered by insurance, which means they are all out-of-pocket costs. Additionally, care giving costs and many equipment and pharmaceutical costs are also out-of-pocket. Our goal is to keep him functioning and with us for at least the next ten years until a cure can be found for this maddening disease. The stem cell therapy alone will cost about $1.3 million, so that is what we are asking for.

There are no absolute answers. This disease can be slowed down, but because there is no cure and it can sometimes move quickly, time becomes more precious with each passing day. If there is a stem cell procedure, medication or any other therapy out there in the world, I want Paul to have it so he can be with us for as long as possible. We need each other in this world to make our way. For every Season there is a time. This is the Season to send our love and support to Paul Gralen, as a measure of our gratitude for all the love, joy and creativity he has brought to our world and for everything he continues to give.

And we'd like to have him around for a while to see these two little ones grow up! So thank you in advance for any support you can give...