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Mostly Cloudy Running long to support Woodmere resident with ALS
Woodmere resident Devorah Schochet was given two to four years to live in 2013, when she was first diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Valentine’s Day was the 10-year anniversary of that diagnosis.
Schochet, 48, has the unflagging support of, among others, her sister, Hindy Ginsberg, 39, and her mother-in-law, Rivka Schochet, who have turned her disorder into a cause. “There are so many things you can do to bring awareness,” Rivka said. “One of those things is running in marathons!”
Hindy and Rivka plan to take part in the 2023 Jerusalem Marathon on March 17, an annual 26.2-mile run that passes historical sites around the Israeli city. Rivka will run a 10K race that is also part of the event.
“We run to try and inspire other people to help people with ALS,” Rivka said. “To appreciate our health and the ability to do simple things.”
ALS became synonymous with the Yankees legend who contracted the disease in 1939. Gehrig died two years later, at age 37. An estimated 31,000 Americans are living with the disorder, and about 5,000 are diagnosed every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In June 2007, Devorah and Hindy’s mother, Miriam Cooper, died of ALS. After her death, Ginsberg was inspired to exercise — specifically to run — to honor her mother and to increase awareness of the disease.
“In 2007, no one knew what ALS was,” Ginsberg said. “Nobody knew. You had to explain it — you had to call it Lou Gehrig’s disease. Nobody knew.”
Ginsberg began training for the Jerusalem Marathon in 2013. Weeks before the race, however, her sister received her diagnosis.
“The whole thing shifted to not just raising money for ALS research,” Ginsberg recalled, “but also raising awareness and support, as well as helping her family and others.”
In 2013, Devorah and her family were not only dealing with her diagnosis, but also repairing their Woodmere home in the lingering aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Ginsberg said that her sister had to redesign her home to make it handicapped-accessible.
“Part of what we were able to raise in the early days was to repair her house,” Ginsberg said. “Through this,” she added, referring to raising funds by running in marathons.
In the summer of 2014, recognition of ALS increased dramatically thanks to the popularity on social media of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, in which participants raised money by pouring buckets of ice water over their heads and nominating others to do the same.
“With the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, it changed that status of no one knowing what it was to something that people know what it is and know what it means,” Ginsberg said. “It made us, as a whole family, be seen.”
The challenge raised $115 million in donations in 2014, according to als.org.
In the 10 years that she has been a runner, Ginsberg has raised more than $100,000 for the cause by running marathons across the world. Rivka, 76, ran a 5K at the Jerusalem event in 2021, and is now pushing herself to compete in the 10K that is part of the festivities in two weeks.
“It was a challenge,” Rivka said, recalling the 5K race. “I’m a few years older, and now I’m training to do the 10K.”
Ginsberg will run the full marathon. “By running and trying to inspire other people to help people with ALS,” Rivka said, “it allows us to appreciate our health and the ability to do simple things.”
Devorah will be at home, cheering on two of her biggest supporters. “My family is huge, and everyone is there for me,” she said. “Thank you, God, for providing me with so many friends, and for giving me what I need to survive. I’m a tough cookie, and every day I beat the odds.”
To learn more about the marathon, go to Jerusalem-marathon.com.
