Flames assistant GM Chris Snow diagnosed with ALS

We know that our hockey family will want to help, and we appreciate that so much. Here’s how you can do that.

Be positive and hopeful with us, pray for us in whatever way you pray, and don’t treat us – most especially Chris – differently than you always have. He is the same person today he was yesterday and he will be the same person tomorrow and in two months and beyond. Hug your family, wring all the joy from each moment of your life, play with your children, and be present – all things at which Chris has always been wonderful.

Continue to love us and love our kids. Of all the devastation this diagnosis brought, the idea of telling the two of them they were going to lose their dad was the most crushing. But now we have hope and, we believe, a different story.

The most tangible way you can help us is by donating to research. ALS is a rare disease, and rare diseases aren’t easily cured. Fewer than 20,000 people in North America are estimated to be living with ALS. Of them only 2,000 are living with familial ALS, the kind caused by a gene passed down within a family. And yet this has torn through Chris’ family. At the University of Miami researchers are focused on developing treatments for ALS, including those with familial forms of the disease. They have pioneered the study of the pre-symptomatic stage of ALS with the goal of one day being able to delay or even prevent the disease. With your help they can afford to do more and do it faster. To donate, please visit this link: http://uom.convio.net/goto/chrissnow