No Regrets: Cheryl Moore’s Unwavering Commitment to the Fight Against ALS

In honor of the amazing Cheryl Moore being named our December 2024 Volunteer of the Month, we’re excited to reshare the article highlighting her volunteer journey from spring of 2022. We hope Cheryl’s inspiring journey motivates you to join Lou’s Crew of Volunteers!

Cheryl Moore is a super volunteer and one of our special ALS Ambassadors.  She has been involved with our organization since 2017 and we are so grateful for her continued commitment and support.  Cheryl has volunteered for some of our events, like the Walks and the Chicago Marathon, used to come into our office regularly to assist with projects and mailings, and remains steadfast in her efforts to raise awareness about ALS!  We are so lucky to have Cheryl – please read her story below.

My name is Cheryl Moore.  I have had a connection with the ALS Association since 2013. … My husband, Jerry, was diagnosed with ALS in the spring of 2013.  It took us a little while, of course, to come to terms with this diagnosis (knowing that there is no cure) but once we did, we decided that we would spend whatever time we had left making family memories.  My mantra at the time was “No Regrets”.  I did not want to look back and think about what I could or should have done.

So that’s what we did.  One daughter moved back to Ohio and helped me take care of her dad.  One daughter took a leave of absence from her job to come home and cook for us (she’s a chef) and spend time with her dad.  The other daughter was pregnant but came home as often as she could. 

We were able to attend the Advocacy Day in D.C. in 2014, which was a wonderful experience for Jerry.  We were able to meet other families going through the same issues we were experiencing.  We had birthday parties and holiday parties and barbeques, invited family and friends, whatever Jerry wanted to do.  We were even able to celebrate our 31^st Wedding Anniversary. We became a part of the local ALS Support Group, and it was an amazing experience.  We remain friends with several of the other members.

Through all this our faith remained strong.  Jerry was a minister and he ministered to us as well others throughout his illness.  He trusted and believed in God right up to when He took him home.  We do miss him greatly, but we are grateful for the time that we had with him.

If you’d like to get involved with ALS United Greater Chicago as a volunteer, take our quick survey to become a member of Lou’s Crew of Volunteers today!