Susan Hunter and her family wore shirts with the Pepsi logo as they joined the annual Move to Cure ALS fundraiser in Kelowna on June 8.
"Their dad drank Pepsi from the time we were married," Hunter said with her kids standing next to her. Hunter's husband Darren died in October 2024 after a short, tough battle with ALS. "He had tons of it in our house, it was a staple. At one point he had 120 of two litre bottles under our step because there was a sale on... So, Pepsi is our logo and we will always be Team Pepsi."
On the back of the Pepsi t-shirts, the family included a photo of Darren, Darren's sister Wendy, and their dad Roy who all battled the disease.
"We need to find a cure so that nobody else in our family gets this," Hunter noted that the family has the genetic markers for ALS and her kids are at risk. "I believe a cure is out there, we just need the funds to be able to do it and the government to step up and give us the money to be able to do trials."
Donald Miyazaki, executive director for the ALS Society of B.C., said strides are being made towards finding a cure and 40 per cent of the funds raised go directly to research. The other 60 per cent provides those living with ALS mobility aids, such as walkers and wheelchairs, as the disease causes people to lose the ability to use their muscles.
"The average life span after diagnosis is about two to five years, and once you've been diagnosed different patients progress at different speeds," Miyazaki noted that the disease isn't specific to any demographic.
The Kelowna walk had about 175 people registered. Before attendees set off from Stuart Park to walk the downtown waterfront at 11:30 a.m., about $23,000 had been raised toward the $60,000 goal. Miyazaki said the majority of funds are raised in the after party with the silent auction, barbecue lunch by donation, and a raffle.
Learn more about the ALS Society of B.C. and what they offer at ALSBC.ca.
