Brett Snyder '00, forever and always a Lehigh football alumnus, recently appeared in the Morning Call detailing his fight against ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.Keith Groller of the Morning Call has done a fantastic job bringing information about Brett Snyder's foundation, Tackle ALS. Keith has done so through his articles, of course, but has also talked about Brett in his blog as well.
Last weekend, Brett held an Tackle ALS fundraiser in Starters Riverport in Bethlehem, where Brett presented a $15,000 check to another ALS foundation called ALS Hope:
"The money we're donating is going to help the clinic that Dr. Heiman-Patterson runs at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown and also will go to her research and drug trials," Snyder said. "The pharmaceutical companies come to her, and she conducts her own research. We want to help people and increase awareness about ALS."
"It's all dedicated to making a difference for people living with ALS," Heiman-Patterson said. "The money that Brett has raised allows us to support the clinical arena and the research and to help take care of people, especially with their breathing, which ALS affects."
Coach Coen, who was an assistant coach at Lehigh when Brett was playing, stopped by as well along with assisant coaches Donnie Roberts and Trey Brown.
"I applaud Brett and his friends for starting this organization," Coen said. "Brett's the same way he was as a player -- he's going to take this thing head-on and be as productive with it as he can be. I was an assistant coach at Lehigh when he was here, and I loved coaching him. Of all the people I've coached, I don't know that I've ever had a better kid in terms of attitude and that's what makes this all the more despicable that he's dealing with this. It's really unfair. He was a great player, but he's an even better person."
I'm really glad to be able to pass on the information about the event, and the links to stories about upcoming events as well. I'd like to put something up on the blog in order to raise awareness about Tackle ALS and raise money for the cause - to make it easy for people to donate directly to Brett's foundation.
I don't know Brett personally but like many people I have been deeply moved by his story and his determination to make things better for people living with ALS.
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