About Muscular Dystrophy Association
WHO IS MDA?
The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is a voluntary health agency dedicated to the eradication of 43 different neuromuscular diseases. Founded more than 50 years ago, it is MDA’s belief
that there are no incurable diseases, only those that we have
yet to find the cure. Through a variety of fundraising programs, MDA locally funds clinics at Rush University Medical Center, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University. Families are assisted with costs associated with wheelchair and leg brace purchase and repair,
flu shots, and other durable medical equipment. MDA Summer Camp is provided for children ages 6-21 every summer at no
cost to their families. In addition to the local services it provides, MDA is the world leader in ALS research.

WHAT IS ALS?
ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is more commonly known
as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS is a disease of the motor neurons, which control voluntary muscle movement but leave mental function intact. The cause is generally unknown, although about 10% of cases are genetic. The majority are sporadic, meaning that it knows no racial, sexual, religious or other boundaries. ALS can be anyone’s life story. In essence, ALS slowly paralyzes a person, eventually affecting respiratory and cardiac muscles, resulting in death typically two to five years after diagnosis. Large strides have been made in ALS research over the last few years and researchers continue to move on the path for a cure.

WHO IS AUGIE, AND WHAT IS "AUGIE'S QUEST"??
Funds raised from the Second Annual “A Toast to Life” will benefit Augie’s Quest, an accelerated ALS research program run through MDA. Augie Nieto, a prominent leader in the nation's fitness industry for nearly three decades, received a diagnosis of ALS in March 2005. Augie, 48, is co-chairperson of MDA's ALS Division with his wife, Lynne, and approaches it with the same ironclad will and determination that catapulted him to entrepreneurial heights in the fitness world. Augie is the co-founder of what is today Life Fitness among many other large scale fitness endeavors. Living a life dedicated to health and being in top shape, Augie’s diagnosis left him in a race against time. Augie has accelerated ALS research by partnering with MDA to form Augie’s Quest, a fast-paced ALS research program that just launched a 3-year, 36 million dollar drug search. Through Augie’s strong will and support of family and friends, researchers are getting closer and closer to finding that cure.