Hamilton’s Walk to End ALS happening Saturday

Brantford man Dave Dodds, 48, living with ALS is using positivity and social media efforts to highlight his journey and raise awareness of the debilitating disease. Through his custom apparel shop, Fat Dave’s in Brantford he’s also campaigning for more support in the community ahead of Hamilton’s Walk to End ALS event on Saturday.

Dodds says he noticed weakness in his shoulders last September. After a series of rehab and screening tests, by March, doctors diagnosed him with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a neurone disease that impacts your muscles.

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Through Dodds’ YouTube channel, he provides updates on his journey with his family.
Dodds says doctors think he may have a rare form of ALS and hopes to see more federally approved treatments get funding.

Hamilton Health Science’s (HHS) Dr. Marvin Chum says funding for new medications is currently being negotiated and campaigns like the ice bucket challenge have made a difference. “The research that was performed from those donations continues to be making ripples to this day. There was a new gene that was discovered directly from that money for example.”

Dodds says over the last few weeks, he’s produced hundreds of “No One Fights Alone” ALS t-shirts. He plans on selling them at the Walk to End ALS on Saturday. The proceeds from the t-shirts will be used for Dodds’ expenses that arise due to ALS.

He said, “The walk tomorrow, for me, yes, it’s ALS Canada’s largest fundraiser, but to me, it’s more about the community support to show up.”

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The ALS of Society of Canada’s event aims to raise more than $2 million for research and support for the roughly 3,000 people living with the disease.

Former journalist and Niagara Health official Steven Gallagher, who was diagnosed with ALS four years ago tells CHCH News that money was raised last week in St. Catharines and “from the money raised, ALS Canada provides vital equipment like hospital beds, ramps, wheelchairs and walkers, lessening the burden for people living with ALS.”

Hamilton’s ALS walk kicks off at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Confederation Park.

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