REAGAN FITZKE

On Sunday, Sept. 13, National Honor Society paired with McLain High School to walk for Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS, on behalf of Steve Johnson, former Mountain Vista High School principal, who has the disease.

ALS is a nervous system disease that weakens the muscles of the body, impairing function of organs until they simply shut down. There is no known cure today.

The event was held at Sloan’s Lake in Denver and consisted of several different groups that represented different people. People could participate in both the walk and the well-known ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Vista wore purple shirts in honor of Johnson. Each member was to donate a certain amount of money to the organization.

One of the members that walked was senior Darren Woon, who has many personal connections to people affected by ALS.

“My mom’s cousin died from Lou Gehrig’s, so I have a personal connection to the disease,” Woon said. “Our family has also known Steve Johnson for a really long time since he was the principal when my brother was in high school. It’s just a terrible disease to go through so we thought it’d be the best way to support him.”

You can help the cause by donating to www.alsa.org.