Fundraiser to help Mrs. B

Please support our online fundraiser to help "Mrs. B." with her battle against ALS.Please help with the skyrocketing medical bills for the ongoing care of our beloved friend Maureen Bolognese ("Mrs. B"), who is battling the horrific disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease” with incredible poise, courage and determination.Thanks to the wildly successful #IceBucketChallenge videos currently spreading virally across the social media spectrum nationally and even internationally, our collective awareness of the hideous ALS disease is at an all-time high. And while millions have responded kindly and generously to the ALS Foundation, many of us wonder what else we can do – at a local level – to support those afflicted with ALS and dealing with the unfortunate associated financial burden.Just a few miles from the very epicenter of this effort – Beverly, Mass., home of former BC baseball captain Peter Frates, in Swampscott, lives our beloved friend, Maureen Bolognese ("Mrs. B"). Maureen and Pete have not yet met, but they share a similar battle.A life-long North Shore resident who was born in East Boston, Maureen spent 33 years teaching and mentoring thousands of kindergarten and first-grade students in Winthrop, East Boston, Lynn, Swampscott and most recently, Manchester-by-the-Sea. She has lived in Swampscott for the past 42 years with her husband, best friend and soul-mate, Peppi. They’ve been active parishioners at St. John the Evangelist Church in Swampscott and raised two children, Nicole Bolognese, currently of Hoboken, NJ and Dave Bolognese, who lives in Marblehead with his wife Alicia and their three sons David, Michael and Luke.Maureen was diagnosed with ALS in September, 2013, several years after being diagnosed with neuropathy, which forced her into early retirement from her beloved teaching position in 2006.Together, each day, each hour, they courageously battle ALS. And the toll it takes – mentally, physically, emotionally and yes, financially, is both staggering and growing.Because many of the medicines, treatments and equipment required to help Maureen survive and fight ALS are not fully covered by insurance, we have started this campaign in hopes that you – her family, friends, neighbors, former students, and fellow parishioners – can help contribute to their cause.Peppi and his family are now renovating their two-family home with many basic, but costly infrastructure improvements to accommodate her wheelchair, allow her to get out of bed and in the bathroom and simply, be as comfortable as possible in her home. Additionally, they have to make the home handicapped accessible so Maureen can move to the first floor of the home and avoid her painful daily walks up and down narrow staircases. This will allow Maureen to increase her quality of life an enjoy one of her absolute greatest pleasures in life – her beautiful back yard flower garden.In the coming weeks and months, other required equipment will include a new wheelchair seat, a device to allow Maureen to communicate via her eyes (which will cost about $20,000) and other items.Thank you for reading this post and THANK YOU EVEN MORE in advance for your contributions. This is a great cause and any little bit helps. Any donation is greatly appreciated and may God bless you for your help and support for Maureen and Peppi. With our complete gratitude.