The Ride for Life participants took a lunch break at Columbia Medical Center on April 28th, the starting day of the ride. The informal gathering gave Dr. Mitsumoto and Dr. Gordon an opportunity to thank the participants for their generosity and courage, and allowed researchers to collect DNA samples from patients and their friends and families who showed their dedication by rolling up their sleeves and donating blood.

The Ride for Life group presented Dr. Hiroshi Mitsumoto with a check for $5,000, their annual donation, supporting the Eleanor & Lou Gehrig ALS/MDA Research Center. The Ride’s research committee, headed by patient Norma Steck-Hess, a Columbia MDA/ALS Center patient, funded a $25,000 grant to Dr. Gordon in support of a new combination drug clinical trial.

The Ride for Life was created in 1998 when a group of ALS patients attracted press coverage by riding their electric wheelchairs from Yankee Stadium to Washington, D.C. a distance of over 350 miles. This year the riders progressed from the deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid and to Montauk, Long Island, a trip that took 10 days and covered 150 miles. Since its inception, Ride for Life has raised over two million dollars. To learn about the event, to pledge support or to volunteer to become a walker or rider, visit the Ride for Life website at www.rideforlife.com.