Latest news with #MuscularDystrophyAssociation


Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Community news: Area events generate $1M for Muscular Dystrophy Association, more
It was a record-breaking year for CITGO Lemont Refinery, which raised just over $1 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association with two fundraising events. Driving for a Cure Golf Outing, which drew 375 golfers on all four courses at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, also brought in donations from 130 companies. A new addition to the Shamrock Bowl gala with more than 450 guests highlighted inspiring speeches from MDA families, including its national ambassador, Lily Sander. 'The progress of MDA medical breakthroughs is made possible because of events like our outing and the outstanding support from CITGO employees, marketers, Retailers, vendors and contractors,' the refinery's vice president and general manager, Jim Cristman, shared in a news release. 'We're incredibly grateful for the passion that people have for our MDA partnership.' The MDA, created 75 years ago to support people living with muscular dystrophy, ALG and more than 300 other neuromuscular conditions, uses donations for advancing care, research and advocating support and inclusion of families affected by neuromuscular diseases. Several libraries in the 39th District are scheduled to receive a total of nearly $340,000 for programming and library services. More than 600 libraries statewide will receive nearly $18 million from the Illinois Secretary of State's Public Library Per Capita and Equalization Aid Grants program. Funds can be used for such things as capital expenditures, personnel, public programming, books and e-books, online resources and internet access. Elmwood Park's library will receive $36,168; Franklin Park's, $27,375; Oak Park's, $80,510; and River Forest's, $17,283. 'Libraries are invaluable in our communities, serving as a resource for everyone from ages 1 to 100,' Senate President Don Harmond, D-Oak Park, shared in a news release. 'These grants are an investment in lifelong learning. An international accordion virtuoso will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 21 in the Normandy Room of the Elmhurst American Legion Post, 310 W. Butterfield Road, Elmhurst. Tickets for 'An Evening With Cory Pesaturo,' presented by the Chicago Accordion Club, cost $14 for members and $17 for nonmembers and will be sold at the door. The public is invited. Pesaturo 'is the only person to win World Championships on acoustic, digital and jazz accordion. Also, he is the only accordion graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston,' according to a news release from the club. He's given master classes at universities in Europe and the United States, performed for the Clintons at the White House, played with the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony Orchestra and appeared on television. Club information is found at Antiques dealer Rex Newell comes to the River Forest Public Library to appraise antiques from 2 to 3 p.m. July 19 in the Barbara Hall Meeting Room at the library, 735 Lathrop Ave. Reservations are required, and participants should bring no more than one item. Those with items to be appraised should arrive before 2 p.m. The program is in partnership with River Forest Township. Most items are welcome, although Newell will not appraise firearms of any kind, Native American antiques or Asian antiques. Sign up online or call 708-366-5205. A French-inspired cultural celebration for the whole family takes place during 'Voyage en France,' planned for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 20 at Cantigny Park, 15151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Attendees can shop in a French market, roam the gardens and watch En Plein Air artists work on their craft in the Visitor Center lounge. Art-focused family activities, the chance to play the French sport petanque with the Chicago Petanque Club, and French scientific discoveries will be highlighted. Musical performances and dancers performing ballet and the cancan will be scattered throughout the park, and photo stations will be set up, including a replica of the Eiffel Tower. For an extra fee, Toast of France features a curated tasting of bites paired with wine from the Bordeaux, Loire Valley and Burgundy regions of the country. Tickets cost $15 for adults in advance or $20 that day; children 15 and younger are admitted free. Toast to France tickets cost an additional $35 in advance of $40 that day. Details and tickets are at 630-668-5161 or Reading is going to the dogs at the LaGrange Public Library when children get the chance to read to a specially trained dog. Children in kindergarten to sixth grade are invited to read to the dog for 15 minutes from 7 to 8 p.m. July 21 in the Tyler Duelm Activity Room at the library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave. Advance registration is not necessary but participants should stop by the Children's Services desk at 6:45 that night to choose a time slot. Information is at 708-215-3200.


New Paper
15-06-2025
- Health
- New Paper
He quit his career to care for his son who has muscular dystrophy
Childhood falls were an ordeal for Mr William Eng. Unlike other children, he could not brush off a routine tumble. While he remembers running in primary school, he tiptoed as he walked. Unbeknown to him, his unusual gait was a symptom of muscular dystrophy, a condition in which muscles weaken over time. Mr Eng, now 37, recalls: "I fell easily and frequently. I wasn't afraid of falling down, but getting back up was tiring. Initially, I could get up on my own. But by secondary school, my friends had to pull me up from behind." He found out, through medical checks ahead of registering for national service, about his muscular dystrophy at the age of 15. Before that, he and his family had cycled through unsuccessful attempts at managing his symptoms, including acupuncture; making him consume brews with ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine like seahorse and frog legs; and sporadic visits to the hospital. Mr Eng says they did not know they had to seek treatment in any regular way. "We didn't know where to go." The eldest of four children, he lives with his 59-year-old father Steven Eng, who is his full-time caregiver; his stepmother, a 56-year-old cashier; and an uncle, 58, who works part-time as a cleaner. His younger brother and sisters, aged between 25 and 36, do not live with them. From Mr William Eng's teenage years, his dad has been a bulwark of support as their family grappled with his condition. He was about to repeat Secondary 3 because he did not take his examinations for that grade the year before. But he could not walk by then, and dropped out of school. Thus began a period of social isolation that lasted around 14 years. Although he soon acquired a manual wheelchair through a family friend, lifts would not be installed at his family's HDB block in Tampines for several years. On outings, his father would carry him down the four flights of steps from their three-room flat on the third floor; seat him at the coffee shop downstairs; and walk to the main road to hail a taxi for them, retracing that route upon their return. During this time, Mr William Eng says he had "no peers", save for one secondary school friend who visited him faithfully. His late paternal grandmother, who used to live in their household, was his main carer for many years. When his siblings grew older, they would leave him food and water on the table before they left for the day, bringing him a dabao (takeaway) meal when they got home. Mr Steven Eng was working as a contractor, specialising in signage painting and facilities maintenance. For close to 20 years, he woke at 5.30am for work, returning in the evening and spending limited time with his disabled son. For a year in the 1990s, he worked in construction by day and held a night job making soya bean milk at a factory. Money was tight and he slept about three hours a day. When Mr William Eng was 29, he came into contact with Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore) and spent most days of the week at its Bishan location. Equipped by then with a motorised wheelchair which afforded him more mobility and independence, he filled his days with activities such as therapy, art and craft, and sports like powerchair football, in which players use specialised electric wheelchairs to play a modified form of the sport. Mr Steven Eng pushing Mr William Eng in his wheelchair out of their HDB flat in Tampines. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO He also spent several years designing greeting cards and labels for work projects gained through the association. But a health crisis struck on Christmas Eve 2019, further weakening him and prompting his father to give up his career to care for him. Mr William Eng was rushed to hospital with high fever, a hacking cough, pneumonia and a congested lung. During his 2½-month stay at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, which included about a month in intensive care, he underwent intubation, whereby a breathing tube is inserted; and subsequently a tracheotomy, which creates an opening through the neck directly into the trachea or windpipe, to provide an airway and remove secretions from the lungs. Mr Steven Eng sprang into action, taking leave from work to alternate 12-hour shifts at his son's hospital bedside with other family members. When Mr William Eng could not speak for a few weeks, his father, who cannot write in Chinese or English, used a board with letters and numbers to decipher what he needed. The younger Eng would nod or train his eye at one letter after another, forming words like "pain" for his father to write on paper, indicating to hospital staff what help was needed. Mr Steven Eng helping to put on the oxygen mask strap of a ventilator to help Mr William Eng with his breathing. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO The decision to care for his son full time was easy for the senior Eng. "I told the hospital, please let me take care of my son. I can provide one-on-one, 24-hour care. Rather than having a helper or one of his siblings help out, I might as well do it. I am old (and can give up my work)," he says in Mandarin. He quit work on New Year's Day in 2020. For the past five years, Mr Eng has been helping his son with daily activities such as going to the bathroom, showering and clothing him, and giving him medicine. He also puts on a ventilator for the younger man, who uses this machine that helps him breathe when he sleeps at night, and for a few hours in the afternoon. He helps his son use a cough assist machine, which clears his airways and supports his breathing by removing phlegm from his lungs. Mr Eng works out for an hour daily, stretching and using dumbbells, to keep up his strength so he continues to be able to carry his son when necessary. The pair, who enjoy watching movies together, attest to their close relationship. Mr Steven Eng says: "We are friends, we speak directly to each other." He adds: "It's not tiring caring for my own child." Mr William Eng demurs. "My father toils the most. He has sacrificed a lot. Especially in Asian society, people might ask, why aren't you working? It's rare to find a daddy caregiver." "I call him Penguin Daddy," he says, referring to how the male emperor penguin incubates the egg while the female goes away to hunt at sea.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Grey's Anatomy' Star Eric Dane Tears Up in First Interview Since Announcing ALS Diagnosis
Eric Dane—who plays Cal Jacobs on Euphoria—announced in April that he has been diagnosed with ALS. On June 12, a teaser clip from a forthcoming Good Morning America interview with Diane Sawyer dropped, where Dane emotionally speaks about his diagnosis in his first sit-down interview since revealing the news. 'I don't think this is the end of my story,' the Grey's Anatomy star said in the Dane, star of Euphoria and Grey's Anatomy, is speaking out in his first interview since receiving a 'crushing' ALS diagnosis earlier this year. Dane fought back tears while speaking to Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America about his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis in April. (The disease is also commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease.) 'I wake up every day and I'm immediately reminded that this is happening,' he said in a teaser clip shared for the interview on June 12 (via Page Six). To this, Sawyer said, 'It's not a dream,' which Dane repeated back to her. 'I don't think this is the end of my story,' he continued. 'I don't feel like this is the end of me.' Dane revealed his diagnosis back in April, just weeks after he and wife Rebecca Gayheart called off their divorce. Dane's full Good Morning America interview is slated to air on June 16. The couple share two children, and Gayheart filed for divorce back in February 2018; she filed documents to have the petition dismissed in March 2025. In a statement to People in April, Dane said of his ALS diagnosis, 'I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.' He also requested privacy as they figured out how to move through this next stage of their lives. He also shared that he will reprise his role of Cal Jacobs for season 3 of Euphoria, which began filming not long after Dane announced his diagnosis. ALS is a rare degenerative disease that has no cure; according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, people typically live three to five years after diagnosis, although some patients can live decades. Read the original article on InStyle


Buzz Feed
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Eric Dane Broke Down Over ALS Diagnosis
In April, Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria star Eric Dane announced that he's been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, saying in a statement to People: 'I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.' For context, Eric is 52 and shares two teenage daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine, with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart. Rebecca filed for divorce from Eric in 2018, although in March — a month before his ALS diagnosis was made public — she requested to dismiss her petition. ALS, which is sometimes referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease or motor neurone disease, is a rare neurodegenerative illness that impacts nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing progressive paralysis of the muscles. The disease — for which there is currently no cure — causes people to gradually lose the ability to walk, speak, eat, and breathe independently, although it notably does not impact a person's thinking ability. The life expectancy after a person is diagnosed with ALS can vary between cases; however, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, most people with the disease are expected to live for three to five years after diagnosis. That said, everyone's experience with ALS is unique, and some people go on to live for decades. When announcing his diagnosis, Eric expressed gratitude that he's currently in a position to continue working, saying that he's 'looking forward to returning to the set of Euphoria,' which is currently shooting its long-awaited third season. Eric stars in the Emmy-winning HBO series as Cal Jacobs, the father of Nate Jacobs, who is played by Jacob Elordi. Now, in a teaser for an upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer for Good Morning America, the actor has given an emotional update on his situation, saying: 'I wake up every day and I'm immediately reminded that this is happening. It's not a dream.' At one point in the 30-second teaser, Eric and Diane hold hands as he looks visibly emotional. 'I don't think this is the end of my story. I don't feel like this is the end of me,' he says. Towards the end of the clip, while presumably discussing the immediate aftermath of his diagnosis, Diane asks who the first person was that he called, prompting Eric to break down in tears. The GMA segment — which airs on Monday — marks Eric's first TV interview since his diagnosis. It comes after he spoke with Variety about the future of his career, saying he feels 'pretty capable' as far as acting is concerned. 'With real respect, I really don't want to talk about it. I made the announcement. That's what's going on with me; it's very personal to me,' he said when asked about his diagnosis. 'I am ready and willing to do just about anything, but I have limitations that I understand will preclude me from playing certain roles. I'm working on Euphoria. I finished Countdown. As far as that goes, I'm pretty capable.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Firefighters hope to ‘Fill the Boot' in support of Muscular Dystrophy Association
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Drivers along a busy road near Washington County will notice firefighters with boots in hand. The off-duty crews with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue are taking part in the annual 'Fill the Boot' fundraiser, asking motorists to donate money to help support the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Firefighters will be along Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and Canyon Road, and the on-ramps and off-ramps to Highway 217 in Beaverton between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, June 6. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.