The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) community in Hawaii will celebrate May, 2018 as “ALS Awareness and ALS Families Appreciation Month”, beginning with a Proclamation from Governor David Ige at the State Capitol Ceremony Room on April 27, Friday at 10 am. Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s Proclamation for the City and County of Honolulu will be held on May 1, Tuesday at the Honolulu Hale, 2:30 pm.
For the past three years, members of the ALS community have celebrated the month with a number of events throughout May. Other events this year include the “With Grace” 5k Run/Walk to benefit Project ALS on May 12, Saturday, at 8 am, Kailua Beach, followed by the MDA Annual Spring Soiree at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, that evening. The following Saturday, May 19, the ALS Association- Hawaii will hold its first “Night at the Royal” Benefit Gala.
On Friday, May 25, the final event on Oahu will be the “Lei of Remembrance” Memorial Ceremony to be held at the State Capitol Courtyard, beginning at 4:30pm with a “Mahalo, Hawaii” sign-waving at curbside. Proclamations by Mayors of Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island will be held on May 14, 15, and 29, respectively.
There are 61 known cases of ALS statewide. ALS is a progressive, muscle-wasting disease which has no cure or known cause. It received attention in the news recently because of the death of the most well-known person with ALS, physicist Stephen Hawking.