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"Brian's
Wish . . ."
Brian is a young man much like
any one of us. He has a caring family and a young son. He also has a fatal
disease; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's
disease.
Brian, it turns out, is also a very big fan
of Indy Racing and the Indianapolis 500.
The "Brian's Wish" program is
a story about how one person made an effort and made a difference.
One of Brian's special caregiver's
at St. Vincent Hospice in Indianapolis, a wonderful and compassionate
fellow racing enthusiast named Barb Lyons, realized Brian's
interest in Indy Racing and mentioned it in an online racing community;
www.trackforum.com.
The rest, as they say, is
history.
In a matter of days, word
about Brian had spread throughout the Indy Racing community. Drivers,
sponsors, team owners, crew members, series officials and most of all
other devoted fans like Brian, all came together to help make Brian's life
a little brighter.
And along the way found that a
simple act of kindness can become so much more.
By their private, unselfish
and caring gestures these generous people set in motion what has blossomed
into the "Brian's Wish" program . . .
Overwhelmed by the kindness
and support from these complete strangers, both well known and ordinary
people alike, Brian decided he'd like to find a way to leave a
lasting legacy of gratitude and hope. One that would both remember those
who helped him and use that support to generate awareness of his disease
in the hope that others would be helped as well.
Thus
Brian's "wish" is simple . . .
. . . he'd
like us to help find a cure for his disease
Although the difficult fact
is it won't help Brian, his hope is that it will help others who may
follow his path.
To help with Brian's wish, the
Indy Racing community will be helping raise awareness for this disease by
displaying "Brian's Wish" logo's on a number of the race car's in the Indy
Racing series, including the Indianapolis 500, along with on team
equipment and apparel.
Indy Racing fans will also
have the opportunity to show their support for "Brian's Wish" and ALS
awareness. By making a contribution to ALS research, through the "Brian's
Wish" program, Indy Racing fans will receive "Brian's Wish" decals to
display as well.
Working
together we can all help
make Brian's "Wish" a reality . . .
 One Year
Later - A Note from Brian's Family . . .
Dear
Family and Friends:
May means it is ALS Awareness
Month, the historic Indianapolis 500 Race is run and this year,
it is the first anniversary of when
Brian died - on Carburetion Day, May 23, 2002.
In December, 2001, we realized we could no longer take care of
Brian at home so we admitted him to St. Vincent's Hospice.
Brian was afraid, upset that he was not going to die at home and that he would be all
alone at the Hospice. At the time we had no idea that, due
to the generosity and compassion of his many new friends, his last five
months would be so unbelievable, challenging and rewarding!
Click
here to read the rest of "One Year Later - A Note From
Brian's Family" |
| BRIAN'S
STORY FEATURED IN INDY STAR . . . |
Wish
come true
Patient
with Lou Gehrig's disease
inspires decals on race cars.
By John J. Shaughnessy
john.shaughnessy@indystar.com
Brian Hall
never expected his cause would be championed in this
year's Indianapolis 500.
He never
expected that Eddie Cheever Jr., Sam Hornish Jr. and many
of the other race car drivers would put "Brian's
Wish" decals on their high-priced,
endorsement-covered race cars.
Then again, no
one could have expected the remarkable story of hope,
courage and faith that has unfolded through Brian, his
family and the racing community in the past five months .
. . Full
Story |
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ALSO
IN THE INDYSTAR:
Brian's
Wish is bright tile in larger ALS mosaic |
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Race fans support
‘Brian’s Wish’ |
Published February 23, 2007 05:09 pm - What started as
a group of friends getting together to enjoy the
Indianapolis 500 has turned into an annual fundraiser
to benefit research to fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Race fans support ‘Brian’s Wish’
 By
Brenda L. Holmes - Hendrick County Flyer - What
started as a group of friends getting together to
enjoy the Indianapolis 500 has turned into an annual
fundraiser to benefit research to fight Lou Gehrig’s
Disease.Former
Indianapolis resident Glenn Harm and a few of his
close friends and family fell in love with Indy
racing.
“I lived in Indy from
1990 to ‘93 and got sucked into the excitement of Indy
and Indy racing,” Harm said. “From ‘94 to ‘97, I lived
in Michigan and would frequently drive to Indy for
various weekend activities each May. In ‘97, we moved
to Denver and I’ve only missed a year or two of Indy
since then.”
Harm and two of his
close friends, brothers Jim Hamilton of San Diego and
Tom Hamilton of Lebanon, Ohio, started hosting parties
in the Coke Lot at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The group became known as “Camp and Brew.”
“I was mostly an ‘Indy
only’ guy until 1996 when Tony George started the Indy
Racing League,” Harm explained. “My wife, Janet, and I
were at the inaugural Indy Racing League race at Walt
Disney World in 1996, and I’ve followed the league
closely since then.”
Through the years, Camp
and Brew became familiar with an Indianapolis-area
charity called Brian’s Wish Foundation. The group is
named in honor of Brian Hall who was diagnosed with
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known
as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Read full story .... |
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BRIAN'S WISH
GIVES $20,000 to A.L.S. Research |
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CONTRIBUTING
TO BRIAN'S WISH:
Brian's "wish" is that contributions to the Brian's Wish program be
used towards promoting public and media awareness and supporting
research to find a cure for Lou Gehrig's
disease.
Brian's Wish is a grassroots, all volunteer effort. Your
contributions will help us fulfill Brian's "wish". Through
our affiliation with the White Lick Heritage Community Foundation
your contributions are tax deductible. Please make all contributions
to:
Brian's
Wish Fund
c/o Hendricks County Community
Foundation
5055 E. Main St., Suite A
Avon, In 46123
If you'd like to become involved with the Brian's Wish program or
would like additional information please feel free to
CONTACT US
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BRIAN'S
WISH and the Hendricks County Community Foundation . . . |
 Brian's
Wish is happy to announce our affiliation with the Hendricks County
Community Foundation.
The
Hendricks County Community Foundation is a vehicle for people of
all means to make a difference, by providing donors with flexible,
efficient, and tax-effective ways to ensure their charitable giving
achieves the greatest possible impact.
Hendricks County Community Foundation
provides professional management and distributes revenues from
charitable contributions and bequests in a manner consistent with
the donor's specific interests and direction.
Our association
with
Hendricks County Community Foundation
insures your donation is both professionally managed
and tax deductable.
Visit their
website at:
http://www.hendrickscountycf.org |
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Help us
Raise Awareness for ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease |
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Once again all of us, including Brian and
his family, thank you for
your support.
Please watch for upcoming Brian's Wish events and information on how you can help
with Brian's "Wish" |
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More than 50,000 people in 57 cities walked to raise more than
$4,000,000 in this year's Walk to D'Feet ALS. Persons living with
ALS, friends, families as well as the corporate community came
together in support of this nationwide effort. Many
national and local corporate sponsors participated, including
Aventis, Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Maurice Lacroix, Fine Swiss
Watches.
Click here for more
information on Walk to defeet ALS
The Walk to
D'Feet ALS is the primary annual fundraiser for ALS. Brian
and his family have been strong supporters and encourage all to
participate. Please contact your
local ALSA
chapter for more information.
Indiana Chapter
1980 East 116th Street
Suite 105
Carmel, IN 46032
Toll Free: (888) 508-3232
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Friends of
Brian's Wish |
Brian's Wish wouldn't be possible without the support of many fine
people and businesses, some of who are represented below. Brian,
his family and all the rest of us at Brian's Wish extend our
sincere and heartfelt thanks for all your support . . .
Please
Click Here to visit "Friends of Brian"
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Brian's Wish is powered by 220mph.com |
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St. Vincent Hospice - A Special Way Of Caring
St.
Vincent Hospice provides a special way of caring for the person and
their families whose life expectancy is limited. Hospice affirms
life and maintains the dignity of each individual it serves. The
program focuses on maintaining the quality of life by keeping
patients pain-free and comfortable while providing for spiritual,
emotional, social and physical needs.
Brian's
Wish is an excellent example of St. Vincent's caring commitment. A
single care-giver went the extra mile to help make a patients life a
little brighter. And the result of that single caring effort has
become Brian's Wish.
St.Vincent Hospice
Indianapolis, IN 46268
(317) 338-4040
Send a note of thanks
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often
referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative
disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor
neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord
to the muscles throughout the body.
The progressive degeneration of the motor
neurons in ALS eventually lead to their death. When the motor neurons die,
the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost.
With all voluntary muscle action affected, patients in the later stages of
the disease become totally paralyzed. Yet, through it all, for the vast
majority of people, their minds remain unaffected.
In July 1939, when the great Lou Gehrig
stood before thousands of fans in Yankee Stadium, weakened from the early
symptoms of ALS, he said "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face
of the earth." Lou Gehrig really meant that and his tears showed he meant
it. He had friends, family and a loving public to help him through the
last days of his life as the disease slowly destroyed him.
Today, those faced with ALS have The ALS
Association (ALSA) with them as well, offering support and information,
helping them to cope, physically, emotionally and intellectually, to live
more productively and independently.
We
live our mission every day...
and we believe now, more
than ever, there is ...
A Reason For
Hope.
www.alsa.org |
