La Sierra University to present ALS Benefit Concert

“At the time there was little mention of ALS and not nearly enough monies for research,” said Kim Canine, whose mother, Jan Odle passed away in August 2002 after bravely battling the illness for 18 months. “Actually, I had never heard of ALS and certainly didn’t know how it would effect my mom.”

Canine, who serves as La Sierra’s director of student involvement, watched her mother quickly age, gradually lose muscular control and ultimately the ability to walk or speak clearly. Canine now hopes that the ongoing and much-publicized ice bucket challenge and related fundraisers benefitting ALS research and awareness will advance efforts toward a cure.

On Wed., Sept. 17, Canine and other La Sierra staff and faculty members impacted by ALS will further the cause by talking about their experiences during an ALS Benefit Concert organized by La Sierra’s music department. The event will be held at 7 p.m. at Hole Memorial Auditorium. Admission is a suggested donation of $10 at the door. All proceeds will benefit the ALS Association, a national nonprofit which funds research, engages in public policy advocacy, and provides care services to ALS sufferers and their families.

The ALS Association reported that as of Sept. 12 the ice bucket challenge, which went viral in mid July, had raised $112.4 million in donations. It began as a grassroots effort and wakeup call by ALS sufferers and their families to draw attention to the illness and raise funds for research. It swelled into a social media sensation involving celebrities, politicians, high profile executives and hundreds of others who were videoed while getting buckets of ice water dumped on their heads. A number of staff members at La Sierra, including Canine, also took up the challenge using the university’s sculpture plaza fountain and swimming pool.

The association describes ALS as a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Over time, individuals with ALS lose muscle control, which often leads to paralysis and death within two to five years after diagnosis. There is no cure and only one drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that modestly extends survival.

“Because of the bucket challenge there is a stronger awareness of what ALS is, and monies raised from these challenges and the concert will give hope to those who will be diagnosed with ALS,” Canine said. “My hope is that eventually, being diagnosed with ALS will no longer be viewed as a death sentence.”

For further information about the benefit concert call 951-785-2036 or email music@lasierra.edu.