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WCVB-TV: Family of fighter pilot with ALS fights for a cure

‘Band of Bellinas’ to participate in Cellucci Tribute Road Race on Saturday

  Matt Bellina and his family
  Matt Bellina, a former Navy combat pilot and father of two, was diagnosed with ALS in 2014.

Their son’s 2014 diagnosis with ALS came as a surprise, but now the Bellina family is rallying their community to support research at UMass Medical School to find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, according to a July 20 story on WCVB-TV.

“Once you get in and you meet people who are involved with research, their hearts are so tied to finding a cure and really what they need is support from the community,” said Debbie Bellina, whose son, Matt, began experiencing symptoms of ALS at age 28 and was later diagnosed with the disease. Debbie and her family will participate in Saturday’s Governor Paul Cellucci Tribute Road Race, the proceeds of which benefit ALS research at the medical school.

“I would love to see a day where there’s never a new young face of ALS,” Matt Bellina, a former Navy combat pilot and father of two who was diagnosed with ALS in 2014, told WCVB. “And I believe we’re going to do it.”

For more of Matt Bellina’s story and why his family participates in the road race, click here: http://bit.ly/1MFC23T

Related links on UMassMedNow:
Second annual Governor Cellucci Tribute Road Race happening Saturday