So one day we can say, 'Mission accomplished!'

Maggie and Paul Molony

Paul and Maggie Molony have been married 52 years. Paul worked for a major oil company producing television commercials while Maggie stayed home to raise their four children - Karen, Laura, and twins Brian and Susan. Maggie says, "Our lives were filled with so much happiness."

Even so, the threat of ALS lingered in Maggie's mind. Her mother, grandmother, three aunts, an uncle, and a cousin all died of ALS. Maggie explains, "I spent most of our married life thinking and dreading the possibility of being stricken with this horrific disease."

What happened next was unthinkable. In 1987, Karen passed away from ALS. Then Brian. Then Laura. Finally, Susan passed away from ALS in 1998. Maggie recalls, "I never dreamed that one day our four adult children would be the next victims and not me. We were completely grief-stricken and devastated."

It was during Susan's illness that the Molonys turned to The ALS Association (ALSA) for help. "Since then, we have always had a shoulder to lean on. As a result, we consider them part of our extended family."

After Susan's passing, Maggie and Paul decided to do something in memory of their four children: include a bequest to ALSA in their wills. "When Susan passed away, there was no doubt in our minds that ALSA would share in our wills," Maggie says.

The Molonys are hopeful that their gift will help ALSA continue its world-class research efforts. "My wish is to open new avenues of more research on stem cells and to find a cure in time so that our eight grandchildren and future family members may live in peace without the fear of being stricken," Maggie says.

Having lost their four children to ALS has not deprived the Molonys of years of wonderful memories, nor of hope in the future. "We know this is what our children would want us to do," she says, "so that other young people might have a chance to live out their lives. We would strongly suggest that others remember ALSA in their wills so that one day we can say, "Mission accomplished!"

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