Friends and Family to Honor Oakwood Hills Woman Living with ALS

Rosie Riley’s “happy place” is the quilting studio her husband Mike created in the family’s Oakwood Hills home. It is here where Rosie selects patterns, cuts and sews patchwork, and stitches and binds quilts of all shapes and sizes. Recently, Rosie sewed 400 masks, nearly all of which the Rileys donated to healthcare workers, the Oakwood Hills police department, friends and neighbors.

When a friend offered to purchase 30 masks, Rosie eagerly accepted the project, but declined payment. Instead, she suggested her friend donate to the fundraising efforts of “Rosie’s Riveters,” a team honoring Rosie in the upcoming virtual ALS Walk for Life.

ALS Walk for Life participants will host their own socially distanced events, fundraise for the Les Turner ALS Foundation, and walk in their communities during the weeks leading up to event day. On September 26 at 11 a.m., emcees Phil Schwarz of ABC7 Chicago and Melissa McGurren from “Eric in the Morning with Melissa and Whip” on 101.9 THE MIX, along with special guests, will unite the ALS community for a Facebook Live event.

Like many people living with ALS, Rosie’s path to a diagnosis was long and indirect. She spent nearly a year seeking answers to why her speech was slurred. In July of 2019, Rosie received answers, and was told she had ALS. Today, as Rosie’s tongue and throat muscles weaken, her speech has gotten increasingly worse and she uses a feeding tube to obtain adequate nutrition and a BiPAP machine for breathing support. As the disease progresses, Rosie’s limbs are still functional -- and with strong hands, she is grateful she can continue to quilt.

“We formed a team for the ALS Walk for Life as a way to give back to the Les Turner ALS Foundation because without their knowledge, support and kindness, we would be truly lost in the face of this disease,” said Rosie.

The team will honor Rosie at their celebration in the Fel-Pro RRR Conservation Area in Cary. At the event, the Rileys will draw the raffle winner of a beautiful “nap quilt,” measuring 49 inches by 60 inches made by Rosie (see photo below). To date, the Rileys have sold more than $1,300 worth of tickets and have received additional donations to benefit the Les Turner ALS Foundation.

“While we are disappointed we are unable to gather our ALS family in-person this year, we are excited to offer people the chance to participate virtually in the ALS Walk for Life and uphold some of their team traditions, just in new ways,” said Andrea Pauls Backman, CEO of the Les Turner ALS Foundation. “We may have shifted our event plans due to circumstances, but our inspiration – the courageous people living with ALS, those individuals who have passed away and devoted family members – has not changed. We will be walking in communities across Chicagoland and across the country for each of them.”

Since its inception in 2002, the ALS Walk for Life has raised more than $13 million for the Les Turner ALS Foundation. These funds support ALS research and clinical care at the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern Medicine and supportive services for people living with ALS and their families.

For more information, visit www.ALSwalkforlife.org.