When I first started talking about the idea for the #whatwouldyougive campaign, it was met with a lot of enthusiasm. The only hesitation that people seemed to have was that it was a little depressing. Would anyone want to give up an ability for a day, or even for an hour? Why would someone want to spend (waste?) their time in that way?

These were good questions. Our previous fundraisers have been bike rides and walks, activities that people could train for, things that they could feel good about. And even though I had fun at the first bike ride we did, it didn’t escape my attention that we were all gathering to participate in an activity that wasn’t possible for me. One group, including my husband and many other friends, road 100 miles. It took them 8 hours. So they spent the day together, biking through the gorgeous Napa Valley, while I stayed back at our tent, meeting people and hanging out with other amazing friends, some who had traveled across the country to join our effort. I have no complaints. But I wanted to create a fundraiser that raised more awareness about the realities of ALS.

When I talked to friends about it, I acknowledged that it’s easier (or at least more fun) to train for a bike ride or run. I understood that they might think they couldn’t do this for a few hours, or for an entire day. But that is exactly the point. ALS doesn’t care what’s convenient. It doesn’t care if the timing works for you. Right now I’m dictating this blog into a headset, and it’s hard (my first effort at that sentence resulted in “Right now I’m defeating the slot into a headset.”) I’m supposed to read as though I’m an anchorwoman, reporting the evening news. Read More>