>>>
>>> ZOE
>>> ZOE LODGE GAVE A TECH TALK ON ALS.
ON ALS.
ON ALS. SHE IS HERE WITH HER BROTHER
AND HER MOM, WHO IS A FRIEND OF
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW. YOU HAVE SEEN HER MANY TIMES ON
"GREAT DAY HOUSTON."
TODAY HER APPEARANCE IS
PERSONAL AND AN EFFORT TO GIVE
OTHERS HOPE.
OTHERS HOPE. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US ALL ON.
OUR FAMILY APPRECIATES IT.
THE ENTIRE ALS COMMUNITY
APPRECIATES IT.
APPRECIATES IT. >> A YEAR AGO IN SEPTEMBER,
ALMOST A YEAR AGO EXACTLY, I
WAS WITH YOUR HUSBAND.
HE WAS FILLING MY CAVITY.
HE IS A DENTIST.
I REMEMBER HIM SAYING I JUST
DON'T FEEL RIGHT.
I THINK I HAVE BEEN DOING TOO
MUCH.
MUCH.
MUCH. IT
MUCH. IT IS BECAUSE HE IS VERY
ATHLETIC.
ATHLETIC.
ATHLETIC. >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. HE WAS IN THE BEST SHAPE OF HIS
LIFE LAST SUMMER.
OUR FAMILY'S JOURNEY STARTED
LAST SUMMER.
LAST SUMMER. HE JUST STARTED FEELING WEAK
AND JUST LIKE YOU SAID, HE
THOUGHT HE WAS DOING TOO MUCH.
HE WAS RUNNING AND EXERCISING.
HE WAS RUNNING NINE DENTAL
PRACTICES.
PRACTICES. HE WAS ACTIVE.
IT STARTED WITH A TWITCH
SEPTEMBER 28TH.
SEPTEMBER 28TH. HE THOUGHT HE MAY HAVE HAD ALS.
HE IS BRIGHT AND INTUITIVE.
HE KNOWS WHAT THERE IS TO KNOW.
THAT'S WHAT IT WAS.
>> WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOU
BECOME EXPERTS REAL QUICK.
>> REALLY QUICK.
>> YOU WERE 13 AT THE TIME.
ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU BECOME AN
EXPERT IN ALS.
WE KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE CAME TO
KNOW IT AS PART OF THE ICE
BUCKET CHALLENGE.
BUCKET CHALLENGE. WHAT IS IT?
>> ALS IS A NEURO DISEASE THAT
ATTACKS UPPER AND LOWER MOTOR
NEURONS.
NEURONS.
NEURONS. IT LEAVES PEOPLE UNABLE TO
WALK, TALK AND BREATHE
INDEPENDENTLY.
INDEPENDENTLY. IT IS LIKE BEING TRAPPED IN
YOUR OWN MIND.
YOU ARE A SPECTATOR IN YOUR OWN
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. MOST PEOPLE HAVEN'T HEARD OF
ALS OVER THAN THE ICE BUCKET
CHALLENGE THAT RAISED $115
MILLION FOR THE CAUSE.
>> IT WILL TAKE EVERY PENNY.
>> IT IS ALL GONE NOW.
IT HAS BEEN CHANNELED INTO
RESEARCH FOR A CURE.
WE ARE STILL RAISING AWARENESS
ON FUNDS.
ON FUNDS.
ON FUNDS. >> ZOE WAY BEFORE THIS
HAPPENED, YOU HAVE ALWAYS HAD A
SERVANT'S HEART.
SERVANT'S HEART. YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THINGS
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
SOMETIMES YOU DON'T CHOSE YOUR
MISSION, YOUR MISSION CHOSES
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. THIS
YOU. THIS MISSION CHOSE YOU.
YOU HAVE RISEN TO THE
CHALLENGE.
CHALLENGE. >> OUR FOUNDATION WAS INITIALLY
DEVELOPED -- IT IS CALLED THE
WALL G ALS FOUNDATION.
IT WAS DEVELOPED AS A SOURCE OF
HOPE.
HOPE.
HOPE. WITH ALS THERE IS A DEMEANOR
THAT THERE IS NO TREATMENT OR
CURE OR NO KNOWN CAUSE FOR THE
DISEASE.
DISEASE.
DISEASE. IT DOESN'T MEAN THERE IS NO
HOPE.
HOPE.
HOPE. THERE HAS BEEN A DARK CLOUD
AROUND THE ALA COMMUNITY.
WE FEEL WHEN WE ARE DIAGNOSED
WE ARE GIVEN AN UNKNOWN
TERRITORY.
TERRITORY. IT IS DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE.
THE POINT OF OUR FOUNDATION IS
TO PROVIDE AND GENERATE THIS
HOPE, THESE POSSIBLE
TREATMENTS, THIS RESEARCH FOR A
CURE, EMOTIONAL WELL BEING AND
EMOTIONAL HEALTH, HOPE AND
INSPIRATION.
INSPIRATION. THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WE HAVE BEEN DEVOTED INTO
FINDING RESOURCES TO IMPROVE
THE QUALITY OF LIFE WITH ALS
PATIENTS.
PATIENTS.
PATIENTS. >> THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGE WITH
THIS CONDITION IS THAT NOBODY
KNOWS WHAT CAUSES IT.
>> IT IS HARD TO FIND A CURE.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. I THINK WE KNOW AND I STRONGLY
BELIEVE WITH EVERY CELL OF MY
BODY THAT THE CURE LIES IN A
COCKTAIL OF THERAPIES.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT
THE GUT.
THE GUT.
THE GUT. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT NUTRITION,
ANTIOXIDANTS, WHAT WILL
DECREASE THE STRESS WE LIVE IN
ALL THE TIME?
WHAT IS AFFECTING MOTOR
NEURONS.
NEURONS.
NEURONS. STEM CELLS WILL COME IN THE
PICTURE.
PICTURE.
PICTURE. WE ARE NOT ON PRIME TIME FOR
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. WE
THAT. WE HAVE TO STOP THE FIRE FROM
BURNING.
BURNING.
BURNING. RIGHT NOW THERE IS A HUGE FIRE
BURNING THAT IS KILLING OUR
DEBILITATING ALL THE MOTOR
NEURONS.
NEURONS.
NEURONS. >> THE BODY BECOMES LESS
EFFECTIVE.
EFFECTIVE. IT CAN'T STAND UP TO THESE
THINGS.
THINGS.
THINGS. >> THAT'S RIGHT.
WHICH IS WHERE REGENERATION
COMES IN.
COMES IN.
COMES IN. IT IS NOT AS RARE AS WE THINK.
EVERY 90 MINUTES A NEW PERSON
IS DIAGNOSED WITH AL S. EVERY
90 MINUTES A NEW PERSON LOSES
THEIR BATTLE.
THEIR BATTLE. WE HAVE TO MAKE THE CHANGE.
WE HAVE TO MAKE IT NOW.
WE HAVE TO FIND A CURE.
THE CURE DOES NOT LIE IN ONE
DRUG.
DRUG.
DRUG. YES, WE NEED TO RESEARCH DRUGS
AND COME UP WITH THERAPIES AND
CONDITIONS THAT WE CAN OPTIMIZE
THE BODY'S OWN ABILITY TO HEAL
ITSELF.
ITSELF.
ITSELF. >> ULTIMATELY WE WANT TO GET
RID OF IT.
>> WE WANT TO GET QUALITY OF
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. >>
LIFE. >> IT ALL COMES DOWN TO
AWARENESS.
AWARENESS. BUILDING AN AWARENESS COMES
DOWN TO PEOPLE CARING ABOUT THE
CAUSE AND REALIZING THAT IT CAN
HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
>> WE CAN ALL GET OUT AND RALLY
AROUND THE CAUSE.
>> THERE IS A LOT OF
INFORMATION ABOUT THE WALK.
THE WALK IS COMING UP.
THE WEBSITE HAS ALL KINDS OF
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. >> THERE MAY BE OTHER PEOPLE
OUT THERE GOING THROUGH A
CHRONIC ILLNESS IN THE FAMILY.
YOU WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.
YOU STILL TAKE CARE OF PATIENTS
WHILE THEY TAKE CARE OF YOU.
>> WOULD LIKE TO SAY AS A
FAMILY AND ON BEHALF OF MY
HUSBAND THANK YOU TO THE ENTIRE
HOUSTON COMMUNITY.
HOUSTON COMMUNITY. IT HAS BEEN HUMBLING AND
ENCOURAGING.
ENCOURAGING. WE LIVE IN A STATE OF CONSTANT
POSITIVITY, FAITH, STRENGTH,
HOPE.
HOPE.
HOPE. THAT'S HOW WE LIVE.
THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN MAKE
IT DAY-TO-DAY.
IT DAY-TO-DAY. MY PATIENTS CALL IN -- AND I
REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
ALL OUR PATIENTS ARE RIDING
AROUND AND PUTTING TOGETHER A
DAY OF SILENCE AT THEIR SCHOOL.
>> IT CHANGES THE WAY YOU THINK
ABOUT THINGS.
ABOUT THINGS. I REMEMBER WE WERE HAVING A
CONVERSATION -- I THINK YOU HAD
THE NERVE TO MAKE A 95 ON A
TEST.
TEST.
TEST. >>
TEST. >> RIGHT NOW EVERYTHING IS
GREAT.
GREAT.
GREAT. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.
WE ARE LIVING LIFE TO THE
FULLEST.
FULLEST.
FULLEST. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
US.
US.
US. >>
US. >> THANK YOU.
THE WALK IS HAPPENING SATURDAY