This is a special message to appreciate the sincere efforts of my dear friend, Mr. Sundar Thirukkurungudi, who is running the full marathon to support Dr. Sekar (another close friend of mine who is an ALS patient).
Please visit the website link https://secure2.convio.net/alsa/site/TR?px=9170421&fr_id=16386&pg=personal, and contribute your mite in helping the ALS association and Mr. Sundar Thirukkurungudi raise money for all ALS patients!
For those who need to understand what ALS is, please note that it stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a progressive neuro-degenerative disease. ALS affects motor neurons, the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement and breathing. As motor neurons degenerate and die, they stop sending messages to the muscles, which causes the muscles to weaken, start to twitch (fasciculations), and waste away (atrophy). Eventually, in people with ALS, the brain loses its ability to initiate and control voluntary movements such as walking, talking, chewing and other functions, as well as breathing. ALS is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time.
Dr. Sekar has been a great scholar – in the fields of Science, Engineering, and Computer Technologies – and earned a Ph. D. degree from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. He has worked with great luminaries like A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (former President of India) and the eminent scientists in DRDL (Defense Research and Development Laboratory).
DRDL is a crucial part of the DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) – Dr. Abdul Kalam was fondly known as the “Missile Man of India” and the “People’s President”. Dr. Sekar has imbibed many of the wonderful qualities from Dr. Abdul Kalam – humility, service, brilliance, sincerity, honesty, and so many other attributes that only a true human being can have.
Please visit the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVG9Nk6voM8 to understand ALS in less than a minute.
[All spellings in this blog post are in American English, and should pose no difficulty in readability.]