LEARN ABOUT ALS - Just what is ALS?

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease, first described in 1869 by the noted French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. It is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the last decade has brought a wealth of new scientific understanding about the disease that provides hope for the future. ALS is not contagious. It is estimated that ALS is responsible for nearly two deaths per hundred thousand populations annually. More people die every year of ALS than of Huntington's disease or multiple sclerosis, and it occurs two-thirds as frequently as multiple sclerosis.

	Bruce Edwards November 16, 1954 - April 8, 2004	Neon Park (born Martin Muller) December 28, 1940 - September 1, 1993
	Bruce Edwards was a long time caddie for the hall of fame golfer Tom Watson.  Edwards began caddying for Watson in 1973 and worked with him until 1989.  Edwards left to assist Greg Norman, but returned to Watson's side in 1992 and stayed until 2003.  That year, he was diagnosed with ALS, but continued to caddie for Watson until the strain became too much. At the age of 49, Edwards succumbed to ALS at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.  It was on the morning of the opening round of the 2004 Masters, his favorite tournament.  Folks recall that after his opening round, Tom Watson chose to speak of Bruce, mentioning how it was his favorite event, and that he missed him terribly.  Bruce loved sports, in particular the Philadelphia Eagles, and Phillies, a fan for life with a passion so great that he could recite stats from both teams from years gone by.  His life is chronicled in Caddy for Life:  The Bruce Edwards Story, written by his biographer, John Feinstein. Andy Davidson reflects, "I just talked to one of Bruce's best friends.  And he reminded me that Bruce was Mr. Nickname out on tour.  He hung nicknames on everyone:  players, caddies, officials...it didn't matter.  He was loved by all."	Neon Park was an American artist and illustrator, best known for the images that have strongly defined covers for nearly every Little Feat album.  He is also known for the infamous cover of Weasels Ripped My Flesh for Frank Zappa, as well as covers and graphics for David Bowie, Dr. John, and the Beach Boys.   Illustrations for Playboy, National Lampoon, Glass Eye, and Dreamworks are also among his claims to fame. In 1983 Neon began to notice numbness in his hands.  His physical condition worsened over several years.  After many tests and operations, he was diagnosed in 1992 with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  His response to the doctor who told him he had the disease was, "I never even played baseball."  ALS is a degenerative disease with no treatment available, and doctors estimated a two-year survival time.  He continued to work, but as his illness advanced, he could no longer paint, so he concentrated on writing poetry, typing with one finger when he could no longer hold a pen. Paul Barrere remembers, "Neon was like a member of the band, the family so to speak.  We miss Neon and always will...and with the release of every new project, we still try to use his wealth of imagery in some fashion."

Hope Happens was founded in 2002 as ALS HOPE by Christopher Hobler and his family after he was diagnosed with ALS in 2001, the same disorder that took the life of his late grandfather, James A. Maritz, Sr., and his cousin, Christopher Rice, of Houston, Texas.

In November of 2004, Hope Happens partnered with Washington University to launch the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at Washington University in St. Louis, a research center dedicated to speeding the process of translating basic scientific discoveries into therapies and cures. Both partners are convinced that discoveries in one disorder will lead to progress with others.

The model of doing research at the Hope Center is unique. Although it makes every kind of sense, it has never been done before. The Hope Center is pioneering this new model of doing research by sharing (1) information and (2) core facilities.  Learn more at www.hopehappens.org.

It is Andy and Paul's hope that this tournament will become a wonderful and lasting tribute to their dear friends, and honor their memories by helping find a cure for the horrible disease that took them from us all.

For more information, please contact:  info@rockincaddie.com