A Free Spirit Comes Home.

Editor's Note: Shortly after the newsletter went to press, we heard from Joanna Sloan the sad news that her daughter Christy died in September. Surrounded by family and friends when she took her last breaths, Christy died peacefully at home. Her story is no less newsworthy; we share it here in Christy's memory.

Christy Sloan views her limitations as challenges, not disabilities, and pours creativity into ALS fund raising.

Christy Sloan had no choice but to love the outdoors. She grew up in the scenic mountains of Asheville, N.C., trying to keep pace with four sports-crazed older brothers. True to form, after graduating from Davidson College in 1990, she took off for a Montana ranch to work as a wrangler.

Sloan subsequently returned to North Carolina to pursue a more sedentary career with First Union Bank, working her way up from branch manager to vice president. Naturally, vacations were always spent outdoors.

In December 1998, as she prepared for an annual ski trip, Sloan noticed twitching and general weakness in her left arm and hand. She thought she’d pinched a nerve in an overzealous workout. But when the weakness persisted, she consulted a neurologist.

The following May, Sloan learned she had ALS. Incredulous that she—just 30 years old, athletic and independent—could develop such a serious disease, Sloan sought additional opinions. Packard Center Director Jeff Rothstein confirmed her fears.

Fortunately, Sloan’s ALS has progressed slowly. But by 2002, when she could no longer walk, she left her job and moved back home with her parents. They’ve been incredibly supportive, Sloan says, allowing her the space to be self-sufficient as long as she can. “Losing my independence,” she writes via an adapted laptop, “has been the hardest part.”

Inspired by two prominent ALS-stricken families who’ve helped raise money for research, Sloan realized she, too, could make a difference. Once again her work brought her outdoors, this time behind the scenes at the marathons, golf tournaments and bicycle races she organized to help find a cure. Since 2001, when her family’s fund, ALS Race for Research, was established, the Sloans have raised a total of $350,000 for the Packard Center and two other ALS organizations.

Meanwhile, Sloan reports, each of her four brothers has responded protectively to her illness. They share a passion for anything athletic. That gives their fund-raising events an added draw, Sloan says—family, sports and the open air.

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