In Support of John Riehl and Family

Hello family and friends, I hope this message finds you well!

In May, my dad, John, was diagnosed with Bulbar-onset ALS. As of now, he is still able to communicate verbally, eat most foods, and his limbs have not been impacted. Though, unfortunately, ALS can be very unpredictable in terms of progression and life expectancy, so we can't be sure how much time we have left together as a family. Because of this uncertainty, we are determined to make the most of our time together and check a few trips off our bucket list while Dad is still able to fully experience them.

We hope to check three bucket-list trips off the list in the next year. The first is a trip to the Pacific Northwest to take Elise on college visits, experience the natural beauty of the region, and explore Seattle. The second trip is to New York City. Central Park is my dad's favorite place on Earth, and he has always wanted to experience that with his family. Lastly, we hope to see a show at Red Rocks in Colorado.

We would love your support in making these trips possible for our family, but there are other ways to help us too. Before all else, we ask everyone to remain hopeful and encouraging, as positivity and hope are all we can control at this time. Please put some positive energy out into the world for my Dad, whatever that looks like for you! Additionally, educate yourself about ALS if you feel inclined to do so. We recommend visiting https://www.als.org for more information on the disease, current research, and more ways to help fight ALS on a broad scale. 

We will continue to use this page to provide updates and post sign-up sheets for meal deliveries, visits with my dad, and anything else we need throughout this journey. Regardless of how you choose to help during this time, we want to express our gratitude. Your generosity and support mean the world to us. 

Sincerely, 
John Riehl, Jessica Gleeson, Parker Holst, Avery Riehl and Elise Riehl