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For immediate release February
18, 2011 Contact:
John Kotsalos at 717-533-8999 or JoAn Zimmerman at 717-533-4254 HUMMELSTOWN,
PA - A local restaurant and a charitable fund are co-sponsoring an event to
support research into the cause of and cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. *PALS denotes a person who has been
diagnosed with ALS. Dafnos
Italian Grille, 1190 W. Chocolate Avenue, is the site of the ninth annual Pasta
for PALS on Sunday, April 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., co-sponsored by the
Zimmerman Family Love Fund and Dafnos. Tickets for the dinner are available for
a donation of $12 per person in advance at the restaurant, or by calling JoAn B.
Zimmerman at (717) 533-4254. Proceeds from the event support ALS research at the
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The
Zimmerman Family Love Fund (ZFLF) was established in memory of Bruce W.
Zimmerman, who lost his battle with ALS in March 2002. The fund is set up to
help financially support basic science, translational, and clinical research
into ALS at the Penn State College of Medicine and the Penn State Milton S.
Hershey Medical Center by Dr. Zachary Simmons, Dr. James Connor, and their
collaborators. Basic
science and translational studies include identification of biomarkers in the
spinal fluid and blood, the role of iron in ALS, and the hemochromatosis gene,
its role in the development and course of ALS, and its effects on cell stress.
Clinical research involves studying the quality of life in patients and their
caregivers, assessing dementia in ALS, developing guidelines for caregivers of
patients with ALS and frontotemporal dementia, improving care at the end of
life, evaluating a computerized program for advance directives, and assessing
and preventing falls in individuals with ALS. Clinical trials of new medications
are also being conducted. The fund also aims to increase awareness and understanding of ALS, a
progressive neuromuscular disorder that slowly paralyzes and always kills its
victims, often within two to five years. The cause of and cure for ALS, a
disease that robs individuals of the ability to walk, talk and, eventually,
breathe remain unknown. The only hope for the future is research. ###
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Copyright © 2001-12 B.W. Zimmerman & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved |
