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Lifters to Bench Press for Charity

Thorbecke’s Event to Raise Money for ALS

By Eric Schwartz
eschwartz@chronline.com

http://www.chronline.com/articles/2009/10/06/news/doc4acb7ac7e9e02008486376.txt

Published: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 10:39 AM PDT

It’s often called Lou Gehrig’s Disease, but that’s not who Thorbecke’s owner Dale Pullin thinks of when he talks about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Better known simply as ALS, it’s a disease that impacts parts of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement, eventually causing full paralysis.

Pullin’s mother, Nancy Early, is in the latter stages of the disease after being diagnosed two years ago. She is the motivation behind Pullin’s plan to hold the “Bench Press for ALS” event at the Thorbeckes FitLife Center in Centralia Saturday.

The event, which begins at 10 a.m. and runs through 1 p.m., is open to the public. At a cost of $25, participants can lift in either a participation or competition category with all proceeds going toward a charity that provides those suffering from ALS with much-needed tools and resources.

“I told her we were going to work together on being proactive in trying to solve these problems,” Pullin said of his conversation with his mother.

Thorbeckes plans to match dollar-for-dollar all entry fees brought in from the event. Gym-goers from about 35 fitness clubs across Western Washington have also been invited to participate.

The event will also feature a talk from Providence Physical Medicine physician Greg Carter, who Pullin says has been an endless resource in his mother’s fight against the disease.

Pullin said his mother’s battle with ALS awakened him to the need to find a cure or at least aid those who are afflicted. It’s a disease that affects perfectly healthy people, he said, a fact that contributed to a long diagnosis process for his mother.

He said he hopes the money, which will be given to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, can be used to provide essentials to patients who suffer like his mother.

“More than anything else even with existing patients there are many things they need,” Pullin said. “They’re just stuck inside their body and they can’t move their body very well. ... Through the progression of the disease there is always need.”

The weights will be set at 85 pounds for women and 135 pounds for men, Pullin said. Competitive lifters will be broken into different categories based on age and weight, Pullin said. For additional information telephone Pullin at 269-3413.
Eric Schwartz: (360) 807-8245

 

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