Mississauga doctor will lead way at Saturday’s Walk to End ALS

For 36 years, Mississauga resident Mehboob Damji was a family physician providing medical care to patients in Stoney Creek. Today, he is on the receiving end of medical care after being given the life-changing diagnosis in September 2020 that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Despite the diagnosis and having to use a wheelchair, 62-year-old Mehboob will lead his team, Marching for Hope, at the ALS Society of Canada’s Walk to End ALS in Mississauga/Peel on Saturday, May 28.

Mehboob will cut the ribbon at the start of the event and expects his team of 30 will raise close to $15,000 for ALS research. Mehboob will match his team’s donations up to $2,500.

“I have had patients who were diagnosed with ALS, but I never thought I might one day personally be faced with the unforgivable challenges of ALS,” says Mehboob. “With other diseases, there is always the possibility that a treatment or medication can cure the condition. With ALS that possibility does not exist, yet. That is why it is so important for fundraising to take place to help support research that may one day help develop new treatment options that can improve the quality of life of those with the disease.”

The Walk to End ALS returns to in-person events in Ontario starting with the Walk to End ALS in Mississauga/Peel. The goal for Ontario in 2022 is to raise $1.9 million. Events will continue throughout June as part of ALS Awareness Month. Funds raised will support the best ALS research in the country and enable ALS Canada to provide community-based support to people and families in Ontario living with the disease.

“There is no cure for ALS making community-driven events like the Walk to End ALS so important,” says Laurie Laxer, Community Lead, ALS Canada. “They provide an empowering and action-oriented opportunity for people living with or affected by ALS to gather to build awareness and raise much needed funds. The event helps bring people together in their desire to put an end to ALS, celebrates hope for a future without ALS, and honours those we have loved and lost.”

More than 3,000 Canadians live with ALS. The disease can move with startling swiftness: four out of five people die within two to five years of their diagnosis. Once diagnosed, the cost of the disease to the average family is between $150,000 to $250,000 – an amount that can include the expense of specialized equipment to help people maintain their mobility as the disease progresses, as well as lost income while family members take leave from their employment to care for their loved one.

Those with ALS face a progressive and gradual decline in the ability to talk, walk, eat, swallow, and eventually breathe.

The Walk to End ALS is the largest volunteer-led fundraiser for ALS Canada, uniting Canadians in their desire to put an end to ALS. Proceeds from the Walk to End ALS in Mississauga/Peel enable ALS Canada to provide services and support for people living with ALS in Ontario, and to ensure a strong pipeline of funding for the best of Canadian ALS research. Last year, more than $2.1 million was raised nationally.

The walk will take place at Port Credit Memorial Park on Saturday (May 28). The distance is 1 to 5 km. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and the walk starts at 9:30 a.m.

Further information on the Walk to End ALS or to donate to the cause can be found at: https://walktoendals.ca/ or by emailing [email protected]