Furry team raises over $34,000 for ALS foundation

On November 10th, 2018 in Irvine, California furs came together in support of one of their own in his fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frequently given the acronym ALS. They walked for a mile at Orange County Great Park to raise awareness and money for the foundation combating this debilitating disease. With Tony “Dogbomb” Barrett leading the team and matching donations, they successfully raised their goal of $34,000.

This is the @dogbomb1 cutting a ribbon yesterday to begin the ALS Walk. His doctor said he should’ve been in a wheelchair by now. Screw ALS. This man is a warrior! ???? pic.twitter.com/u8gIWACbA0— ✨Scotty✨ (@scottyminotaur) November 11, 2018

ALS is a debilitating disease in which the neurons that control one's muscles deteriorate. This causes lack of muscle function, resulting in muscle degeneration. It is a terminal disease as this lack of function will eventually lead to the inability to commit vital functions that are needed in order to maintain life. The speed in which this occurs can vary, with Stephen Hawking famously living most of his adult life with it, being diagnosed at the age of 21 and living until he was 76 years old despite haven been given a prognosis of 2 years upon diagnosis. However, the ALS Association notes that this famous case is a statistical outlier as only 5% of those diagnosed live beyond 20 years. The average prognosis is around three years.

Dogbomb was diagnosed with ALS and has since documented his personal battle on his Twitter feed. He shown great resolve, refusing to give up on the joy in life in spite of the disease. But, even prior to his fight with ALS, he has been known for his big-hearted advocacy of those whom illness has debilitated. In a touching FurAffinity post he made in 2010 named “Courage on Two Wheels”, Tony is photoed in fursuit cheering up a lady named Sarah who was wheelchair bound due to cerebral palsy, another nervous system impacting disease that is sourced at the brain rather than the nerves.

The show of support for Tony and those who suffer from ALS this weekend in Southern California has shown that kindness we show to one another in an unkind world can be returned in kind. So if you wish to show some kindness to those with ALS, additional donations toward the combating against this disease on can still be made on the Team Tony site.