Army Veteran with ALS Will Travel by Wheelchair to the Nation’s Capital to Deliver a Message to Lawmakers

ORLANDO, Fla. – ALS patient and Orlando resident, Ken Patterson, will soon embark on a 940-mile journey, but using an unusual mode of travel. Patterson will make the trip by power wheelchair. He will depart from Orlando, roll 50 miles per day on the highway, then arrive 20 days later in Washington D.C. His ambition stems from a firm resolve to find a cure for his deadly illness.

When Patterson was first diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, he was given only two to five years to live. The disease progressively paralyzes its victims, attacking motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Before long, the muscles begin to waste away, and the brain can no longer signal them to move.  Patients are robbed of their ability to walk, speak, and eventually breathe.

Before Patterson was diagnosed, he fought for our country, a background that may have contributed to his illness. Now, he plans to spend the rest of his days fighting on the home front against his incurable disease.

Patterson will begin his voyage from Orlando’s Blue Jacket Park on April 19 immediately following the ALS Association’s annual Walk to Defeat ALS™. The walk will raise money, but Patterson wants his trip to raise awareness and ultimately affect public policy.  He will travel through Georgia on April 22-26, 2008.  When Patterson arrives in Washington D.C., he will deliver an important message. He wants Congress to know what researchers have discovered: Veterans are two times more likely to be diagnosed with ALS than someone who never served.

The 39-year-old army veteran will advocate before elected officials who need to do more for military veterans who have ALS. Although the disease can strike anyone regardless of age, sex or origin, those who have served in the military are at a greater risk of developing the disease. ALS is striking America’s heroes the hardest, but at this time, the cause remains unknown.

On his long journey, Ken will stop his power wheelchair along the way in order to collect letters from other ALS patients and carry their messages to Capitol Hill.  He will film the journey and use the footage to educate people about the event, urging them to join the ALS Association in making ALS a disease of the past.

With his optimistic spirit, Patterson is serving as a role model for patients in the Orlando area who are suffering with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Despite an apparent “death sentence,” Patterson says he’s “living despite ALS,” enjoying every moment as a blessing and using the time to increase awareness about the disease. He only hopes his efforts will be a step toward finding the link between ALS and the military.