Comedy show, auction to benefit Doylestown natives battle with ALS – The Intelligencer

Posted: Published on December 28th, 2019

This post was added by Alex Diaz-Granados

Jay Smith, a Central Bucks West graduate now living in Texas, continues his fight against ALS, with which he was diagnosed in 2014.

A comedy show and dinner next month will raise funds for Doylestown native Jay Smith and his continuing battle with ALS.

StandUpForJay#endALS will be held from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Jan. 25 at PineCrest Country Club. There will be a comedy show, sit down dinner, open bar, raffle, silent auction and live auction.

All monies raised go toward Smiths care.

Smith, a Central Bucks West graduate, was diagnosed in 2014 with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive and debilitating neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. There is no cure, but treatment is costly; the Muscular Dystrophy Association estimates ALS care costs taxpayers between $350 million and $450 million per year.

Smith has lost his ability to move and speak, and requires a feeding tube and breathing assistance. He does everything with his eyes, typing words on his computer and speaking through a speaker attached to his wheelchair.

In October, Smith had tracheotomy surgery, which helped improved his breathing. However, the cost of care spiked to $160,000 a year.

"Jays biggest challenge today is the out of pocket cost of staying alive, event organizers said.

A writer and inventor, Smith invented new eye technology that allows users to steer a wheelchair, adjust a bed and play video games with their eyes. He also remains a prolific writer on Facebook, where he has nearly 30,000 followers on his Every 90 Minutes page.

In June 2014 he created the nonprofit 90 Foundation to fund ALS research; to date it has raised and donated over $300,000 to both the research center at Houston Methodist Hospital and ALS/TDI, the largest ALS research center in the world.

Smith lives in Texas with his wife, Melissa, and daughters Loghan and Peyton.

If you would like to help, attend, donate, sponsor, or donate an item for the event, visit StandUpForJay.com or contact Barb Smith at besmith8000@gmail.com or 215-601-2529, or Patti Mekosh pmekosh@gmail.com or 215-264-7370.

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Comedy show, auction to benefit Doylestown natives battle with ALS - The Intelligencer

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