Jim Himelic
Baseball legend Lou Gehrig bid farewell to his fan on July 4, 1939 in Yankee stadium.
On that day, he said: "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth... I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."
Nearly 70 years since Gehrig spoke those now famous words, researchers have continued to try and understand amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as "Lou Gehrig's disease," the disorder that claimed his life in 1941.
In an effort to raise funds for University of Arizona researchers studying the condition, the annual Jim Himelic Memorial Golf Classic will be held on Friday. The fundraising event will be held at the Omni National Golf Resort & Spa, 2727 W. Club Drive. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and the start schedule is set for 12:30 p.m.
Proceeds will support scientific research with the goal of improving our understanding of ALS and developing effective treatments that one day will lead to a cure.
Since it began in 2001, the golf classic has raised $573,000 to benefit ALS research at the College of Medicine.
ALS is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that occurs randomly in the population. The disease causes a loss of muscle function by affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord utilized for movement, eventually leading to death.
Each day, about 15 people are diagnosed with ALS, amounting to more than 5,000 people each year. Currently, the disease affects as many as 35,000 Americans, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The average life expectancy following diagnosis typically is two to five years, the association reported. Although significant advances have occurred in the medical community's understanding of the processes underlying the loss of these motor neurons, no effective treatment currently exists.
Friday's event will include a silent auction with live music from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Dinner, dancing and a live auction with live music will be held 7:30 to 11 p.m. The Master of Ceremonies is Elliot Glicksman and Wilber and Wilma Wildcat are expected to make a special appearance.
The event is named in honor of Jim Himelic, a friend of the Tucson community and juvenile court judge who died from ALS in February 2000.
The Jim Himelic Foundation was created by his family, friends and colleagues in 2000 to fund local ALS research. The foundation's goal is to raise $1 million in "seed money" – money that will allow UA researchers to fund the preliminary research necessary for obtaining larger government and private grants to further their studies of ALS.
Members of the media are welcome to cover this event, and participants will be available for interviews. For more information, contact Ana Himelic at 520-275-8187 or AHimelic@hotmail.com.
To arrange interviews with UA ALS researchers and ALS patients and/or family members, please contact Jean Spinelli at 520-626-7301.