The Arizona Diamondbacks hosted their third annual 4♦ALS Awareness Day at Chase Field on Friday, June 3, 2011, by inviting patients with ALS (PALS), their families and friends to join together for a night of awareness building and starlit baseball.

Shawn Bridges, Scottsdale, AZ, resident and ALS TDI ambassador, represented ALS TDI on the field in honor of her brother, Stuart Bridges, who lost his battle to ALS last Fall. Shawn, looking resplendent in ALS TDI purple, was joined by Dr. Shafeeq Ladha, director of the MDA/ALS Clinic at Barrow’s, neurologist Suraj Muley, and PALS Steve Posso and Victoria Armstrong. Posso read the Lou Gehrig speech as all four organizations (ALS Therapy Development Institute, Augie’s Quest, MDA/ALS Division, and ALSA) were represented on the jumbotron.

The Arizona Diamondbacks escorted the entire ALS contingency up to the “party suite”, and the stadium roof was opened to a stellar night for baseball. Also attending the special 4♦ALS Awareness Day was Katrina DeVinny and her family.

“It was a perfect evening to relax and watch a baseball game. It was also so nice to see all the people that came out to support ALS efforts. Hey Mom, we are still fighting and we still miss you!,” said DeVinny, whose pictured here with her husband, Ryan, and their son, Carter. DeVinny lost her mother, Sue Cox, to ALS in 2009. In addition to participating in this important awareness event, she is co-chair of “The 2130”, a charity bike ride recognizing the number of consecutive games played by Lou Gehrig. ALS is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

All in attendance were very appreciative of the wonderful gesture by the Diamondbacks to bring attention to the cause of ALS awareness and research. The Diamondbacks won in a shutout, 4-0 over the Washington Nationals.

Click here to learn more about the DeVinny/Cox Family
Click here to learn more about the Bridges Family
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