This summer, the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) spearheads the 2017 #whatwouldyougive campaign, a national effort to build awareness of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease) and raise funds for research at ALS TDI. The premise of the campaign is to challenge people (both individuals and groups) to give up an ability (e.g. voices, arms, hands, legs), to understand what life with ALS might be like.
A non-profit biotech led by people with ALS and drug development experts, the ALS Therapy Development Institute is the world’s foremost drug discovery center focused solely on ALS. Its innovative science and cutting edge approach have resulted in the identification of AT-1501, an antibody therapeutic with comprehensive and promising preclinical data. Dollars raised from the #whatwouldyougive campaign go directly to advancing AT-1501 and other potential treatments into clinical trial.
#whatwouldyougive was launched in 2015 by Sarah Coglianese, a 38-year-old San Francisco resident who has been living with ALS for the past 5 years. Since 2015, almost 1,600 individuals have raised $400k to help bring us closer to a treatment and cure. This year, #whatwouldyougive participants will spend June and July on fundraising and awareness-building efforts. Between August 1st and 8th, the campaign will culminate in a week of coordinated participation. This “National #WWYG Week” will see a nationwide series of challenges, celebrity involvement, social media take-overs and sweeping publicity.
Described by Coglianese as an “exercise in empathy,” the campaign challenges participants to give up a physical ability for a certain amount of time, to come closer to understanding what life with ALS is like. Participants are encouraged to document their experiences on social networks, to help build awareness of this devastating disease. “I wanted to create a fundraiser that helped people understand just a bit of what it feels like to be stripped of these basic abilities,” said Coglianese. “The things that most of us take for granted. The things that I absolutely took for granted until I received an ALS diagnosis when I was 33 years old. I'm 38 now, and even after all I've given up, I'm not giving up.”
For more information or to take the challenge, visit als.net/whatwouldyougive or email wwyg@als.net. You can also follow @whatwouldyougive4als on Instagram and the #whatwouldyougive and #wwyg hashtags across all social channels.
About the ALS Therapy Development Institute
The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) and its scientists actively discover and develop treatments for ALS. It is the world’s first and largest nonprofit biotech focused 100 percent on ALS research. Led by people with ALS and drug development experts, ALS TDI understands the urgent need to slow and stop this disease.
Based in Cambridge, MA, ALS TDI has over 30 full-time, industry trained, drug development experts on staff. ALS TDI is internationally recognized as a leader in optimizing preclinical models of neurodegeneration for clinical translation, and partners with pharmaceutical companies and biotechs around the world. Rated a CharityNavigator.com four-star charity, ALS TDI spends 87% of each dollar raised on research to find an effective treatment and cure. Visit www.als.net.
About Sarah Coglianese
Sarah Coglianese is a writer, wife, Mom and former marathon runner living with ALS. Diagnosed at age 33, she is now 38 and conducting her life from a wheelchair. That hasn't stopped her though, or even slowed her down in her fight to find a treatment for ALS. Through her #whatwouldyougive campaign and her blog at speed for Speed4Sarah.com, she has built national awareness of this disease and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for ALS research. Sarah's writing has appeared in the The New York Times, CNN.com, Redbook Magazine, and many others. She lives in San Francisco with her husband Rob and their feisty seven-year-old daughter Scarlett.