The BMF recently made it largest donation to date to the University of Maryland, Baltimore and established the Jonathan S Blais ALS Research Fund to support ALS research and the Brain and Tissue Bank and the Jonathan S Blais Lectureship in ALS Fund to promote dissemination of information on ALS.
Category: News
Give Back Where It Counts – Shaw’s
Attention RI and Southeastern MA Blazeman Warriors – During the month of November, The Blazeman Foundation for ALS is the recipient of Shaw’s Give Back Where It Counts program. For every bag purchased from Shaw’s (on County Road in Barrington), our Foundation will earn $1. Please help us spread the word.
Shaw’s GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Bag Program
Blazeman Foundation for ALS has been selected by local Shaw’s store leadership as the benefiting non-profit in the GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Bag Program!
For the month of September 2021, Blazeman Foundation for ALS will receive a $1 donation from each purchase of the $2.50 reusable GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Bag at the Shaw’s store located at 186 County Road, Barrington RI.
New Address
Please note our new address on the contact us page.
Research Update from the Rodal lab (Brandeis)
Dr. Deshpande contributed to research identifying new targets for the ALS gene TDP-43 that may explain why it causes defects in the growth of neurons. This work was completed when Dr. Deshpande worked as the Blazeman Foundation PostDoc in the Rodal lab at Brandeis University.
Rare Disease Day at Quinnipiac University
Blazeman Warrior and medical student, Jenny Hansen and Shea Lawson from The Maryland Brain and Tissue Bank represented the Blazeman Foundation for ALS at this year’s Rare Disease Day hosted by the Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
Talk Story: Blazeman
Bob Babbitt shares some of his favorite stories collected from his years in the world of endurance sports. This episode shares the story of Jon Blais, Blazeman.
The Ultimate Gift
“alswarriorpoet-spirits”… even with their freedom, they, “fight the good fight”…the ultimate act of generosity, “so others may live”…G-D bless and FREEDOM!!! from ALS…(poet-spirits). University of Maryland Brain and Tissue Bank.
Letter of Thanks from Brandeis University President
Brandeis University President, Ronald Liebowitz, appreciates the Blazeman Foundation for ALS for supporting Drs. Rodal and Deshpande (Blazeman Postdoctoral Fellow) over the past five years. He states “…you chose to support a postdoctoral fellowship, which will pay itself forward in research…” Please read his letter to the BMF.
Importance of ALS Tissue for Research
The University of Maryland Brain and Tissue Bank acknowledges the recent expansion of the Blazeman ALS Tissue Collection and how this donation allows them to directly market the availability of ALS Tissue to researchers. This current fiscal year, ALS is ranked number one in terms of the number of samples they have shared from neurologic and developmental disease tissue. Future opportunities include working closely with the BMF to identify specific ALS investigators with whom they might establish a working relationship to expedite their research.