Community Corner

Larchmont and Mamaroneck Residents Defy Heat Index to Bike For ALS Charity

The article below originally appeared on Rye Patch and was written by Local Editor Liz Giegerich.

Several local athletes participated in a three-day bike ride, the Tri-State Trek, to support ALS TDI, the world’s largest ALS research foundation based in Massachusetts. ALS, or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cause, cure, or effective treatment for the disease.

Rye resident and MACAngels board member Phil Gormley, participated in the ride July 19 through 21 for the ninth year in a row. MACAngels is a group dedicated to raising money for ALS research and supporting families of those afflicted with the disease. Gormley and three other local residents—Chris Curtin, the Chairman of MAC Angels and a Larchmont resident; Maureen McCloskey, a Mamaroneck resident; and Bruce Palmer, a Rye resident—braved and survived the temperatures in the high 90s to support a cause close to their hearts. The 270-mile trek started in Boston and ended at the base of Greenwich Avenue in New York

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MAC Angels also hosted a rest stop in North Salem where many board members came out to motivate the riders.

More than 150 bicyclists participated in the ride. The MAC Angels had a team along with Team Christie, and raised over $50,000 to support their program PALS and their families with this horrific affliction. Currently, MACAngels supports almost 40 families.

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“There is NO CURE for ALS,” Phil Gormley explained. “Basically, a patient is a prisoner within their body, as their mind remains 100 percent and they can feel absolutely everything, but their bodies deteriorate daily.”

Many participants were from Greenwich, riding to support Greenwich Sergeant Roger Petrone, who has advanced ALS. 

“I ride in memory of my sister Claire Gormley Collier who fought the battle for over five years, and left a husband and three children when she passed in May of 2009,” Gormley said.

Claire grew up in Larchmont and went to school at Holy Child in Rye.  Her motto was, “Don’t GIVE UP….So Others May Live.”

Click here to donate to the cause:

https://macangel.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/TriStateTrek/SignupFundraising/tabid/461292/Default.aspx?joinme=27438  

Read more about MACAngels at macangels.org


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