Participate Virtually by collecting donations and walking at your home or Face 2 Face in Richardson, TX.

Andrew Szabo is an inspirational keynote speaker, marketing author, strategic facilitator and marketing strategy consultant who stirs up new business with Simply Irresistible® Marketing. His early background in hospitality taught him the importance of service in creating a competitive advantage, building a captivating brand, and a message that becomes simply irresistible, viral generating customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth marketing.

He is the author of Foundations to Irresistible Marketing which the late Zig Ziglar called “the whole shootin’ match”. Arnold Sanow, author of Marketing Bootcamp said “Andrew Szabo is one of the most talented, professional and successful marketing professionals I know.” He is also the co-author, along with T. Scott Gross and Michael Hoffman, of the third edition of Positively Outrageous Service which has now topped 285,000 copies sold over all editions. Andrew was a long time member of NSA-North Texas prior to his diagnosis.

However, on May 26, 2021 Andrew was diagnosed with ALS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a rare neurological disease that primarily affects the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement (those muscles we choose to move). Voluntary muscles produce movements like chewing, walking, and talking. The disease is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time. Currently, there is no cure for ALS and no effective treatment to halt or reverse the progression of the disease.

ALS belongs to a wider group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases, which are caused by gradual deterioration (degeneration) and death of motor neurons. Motor neurons are nerve cells that extend from the brain to the spinal cord and to muscles throughout the body. As motor neurons degenerate, they stop sending messages to the muscles and the muscles gradually weaken, start to twitch, and waste away (atrophy). Eventually, the brain loses its ability to initiate and control voluntary movements.

Early symptoms of ALS usually include muscle weakness. Gradually all voluntary muscles are affected, and patients lose their strength and the ability to speak, eat, move, and even breathe. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually within 3 to 5 years from when the symptoms first appear. However, about 10 percent of people with ALS survive for 10 or more years. Up to 2019, Andrew competed in triathlons, 100 mile bike races and other endurance events. Now he can barely swim 50 yards, running is a no-no and he can’t write, let alone hold onto bike handlebars.

For more information check out the ALS Association Texas Chapter and their year-end message with Andrew Szabo.