Brand Autopsy

Remembering My Mother

Glenna’s Warriors Walk Again

This morning a gathering of Tech Plan employees, friends, and family participated in the Dallas-area MDA Stride & Ride charity walk. Sporting their “Glenna’s Warriors” baseball jerseys, this group walked to raise money for MDA & ALS research and to celebrate the memory of my mother, Glenna Moore.

My heartfelt appreciation goes out to Linda Chrissey who not only organized this year’s gather of Tech Plan folks but also last year’s group. Thank you Linda for taking the time to make this happen and for spearheading the $20,000-plus in donations that Tech Plan has raised to support the fight against the ALS disease.

My heartfelt appreciation also goes out to entire Glenna’s Warriors army who joined my Dad this morning to lend emotional, physical, and financial support for a cause dear to everyone who knew (and loved) Glenna Moore. THANK YOU!!!

Recipes and Memories: When Mom Cooked

For Christmas this year I updated a cookbook my Mom put together back in the dot-matrix printer days. She titled it, WHEN MOM COOKED. This cookbook contains 65 recipes my Mom cooked when her family was young. All the recipes are fairly simple since she led a busy life keeping track of four kids, a husband, and herself. Each recipe includes a short "Mom's Note," where my Mom shares a few memories associated with the dish.

The original version of this cookbook was given to her kids as gifts in 1993. (All of our three hole-punched copies are now tattered after heavy usage.) This updated version is being given as Christmas gifts from me to Moore family members. It is also being shared with you in this e-book version.

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DOWNLOAD | RECIPES & MEMORIES [.pdf | 2MB]

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My Mom would be thrilled to know others are using her recipes to create lasting family memories.

The Business Case for Curing ALS

Approximately 30,000 people worldwide suffer from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Each year, about 6,000 people are diagnosed with ALS. Once diagnosed, almost 50% of all ALS sufferers die within two-years and within five-years, nearly every ALS sufferer dies. There is no cure for ALS.

ALS is a neurological disease where motor neurons from the brain stop reaching one’s voluntary and involuntary muscles. When muscles no longer receive neurons, muscles cease to move and the sufferer becomes paralyzed. ALS sufferers become trapped inside a body that doesn’t respond. Eventually, ALS patients lose the ability of their involuntary muscles, namely the ability to breathe, and subsequently patients lose their life.

Augie Nieto is on a quest to find a cure for this devastating and nearly hopeless disease. As the co-founder of Life Fitness Inc., Augie helped to popularize the fitness industry. Much of the equipment you see in your local health club is from the company Augie co-founded.

For most of his adult life, Augie has embodied living a healthy, active life. But in an ironic twist of fate, Augie was diagnosed with ALS in March of 2005. At first, he wallowed in pity and attempted suicide. Then, he resolved to use his business skills to find a cure for ALS.

However, the business case for finding a cure to ALS is difficult to make. Pharmaceutical companies will invest billions of dollars every year on research to find cures for diseases. Drug companies invest these billions because they seek to get a significant return on their investment by providing medicines that the masses will buy to cure them of a disease.

Since only 6,000 new cases of ALS are diagnosed yearly and at any given time, only 30,000 people worldwide live with ALS, a very small market exists for the drug companies to earn money from a drug that cures ALS. In other words, ALS is not a profitable disease for pharmaceutical companies.

Along his quest to find a cure for ALS, Augie met a kindred spirit in Sean Scott. Sean is a television commercial director by trade but an ALS researcher by passion.

The ALS disease has profoundly impacted Seans’s life. His mother died from the disease and so have five of Sean’s grandmother’s eight children. Sean is genetically predisposed to ALS—which means he runs a much higher risk of being inflicted with the deadly disease. Because of this, Sean has dedicated his life to learning as much about ALS as possible. Despite having no medical research training, Sean read every neurological textbook he could find and became expert in ALS research. Sean also became frustrated at how non-collaborative all the ALS research findings were.

When Sean and Augie met, a friendship and life-long partnerhsip developed. They both shared the frustration of how ALS research suffered from a silo mentality where academics and researchers, being protective of their data, rarely shared their findings with one another. They also shared the belief that researchers were behaving too much like academics and not enough like healers.

Together, these two are setting forth to change the research process for finding a cure to ALS.

Sean Scott is today the president of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALSTDI). The ALSTDI is involved in groundbreaking ALS research, which is openly shared and not privately-kept.

And as the ALS disease marches on rendering more of Augie’s body unresponsive, he continues to work on making the business case for why and how it is profitable for drug companies to find a medical cure for ALS. Through his Augie’s Quest Foundation, he has raised millions of dollars for research into studying the disease in order to find a cure.

You can learn more about Augie’s life and his quest to find a cure for ALS in the just-published book, AUGIE’S QUEST: One Man’s Journey from Success to Significance.

I share this story with you as Thanksgiving 2007 approaches because my mother, Glenna Moore, was born this Thanksgiving day in 1936. Unfortunately, she will not be with her family to celebrate all we are thankful for. Glenna passed away as a result of the ALS disease on July 27, 2007.

I am thankful for everything my Mother taught me and gave me. She will be missed this Thanksgiving.

The Summer of '62

For my Mom's funeral, I updated an earlier video by including photos to accompany the words in the poem my Father wrote for her. This poem, THE SUMMER OF '62, was featured in the inside-front panel of the Funeral Program (.pdf link) and the following video was played during the service.

When my Father wrote this poem, he never imagined it would be used to beautifully eulogize the wonderful life he and his wife enjoyed.

Beautiful it is ... enjoy.

Glenna Moore, my Mother

Recently Uploaded Glenna Moore videos

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*** Non-Marketing Related Post ***

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Many of you will remember that my Mother is living with ALS. The disease continues to creep along and when I tell others about how my Mom is doing I usually say something like, “Everything with my Mom is bad, but good.”

Bad in that she has greater difficulty breathing and eating. Bad also in that her ability to talk has been reduced to garbled utterances. Good in that she has an experienced caretaker who helps her during the day. And good in that her Bridge-playing and Dominoes-playing friends visit every week. Also good in that ALS has yet to rob my Mother of her abilities to work Crossword and Sudoku puzzles.

Recently, I’ve uploaded two new mini-documentaries telling some great stories of my Mother’s life. If you have some time this Memorial Day weekend, consider learning more about the remarkable life Glenna Keith Coffey Moore has lived through these two videos.

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As they finished dinner recently, my parents started reminiscing about their first dates. Luckily, I had my video camera nearby and was able to capture some precious stories and heartfelt footage.

Al and Glenna have been married for nearly 45 years and to hear the unbridled joy in my Dad’s voice thrills me. He truly found the greatest love of all. Enjoy.

Direct link to the video on Google

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Glenna’s mother, Margaretta, was active in keeping scrapbooks throughout her life. Luckily, many of Margaretta’s scrapbooks have survived the years and are still in good enough condition to flip through the pages.

Before ALS progressed with my mother, she shared stories about the people and the photos from a scrapbook her Mom crafted for her when she was a young child.

The following video documentary shares amusing childhood stories from my Mom’s remarkable life. Enjoy.

Direct link to the video on Google

[NOTE: The audio for this documentary was recorded in August of 2006.]

Big-Time MDA Donation

As the son of Glenna Moore, I am so proud to share the results of a fundraising activity which raised $16,000 to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Last Saturday, a team comprised of Tech Plan employees joined together to raise funds at the Dallas-area MDA Stride & Ride event. (Note: Tech Plan is my Dad’s company.) The team called themselves GLENNA’S WARRIORS and wore t-shirts with the words, “Bravehearts for a Brave Heart.”

Unfortunately I was unable to join the Glenna’s Warriors army but I’m thrilled with the love and support Tech Plan employees showed to my Mother and to the ALS cause. Thank you big-time to everyone involved!!!!

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The Summer of ‘62

I’ve done some housekeeping as it relates to the mini-documentaries I’m creating which share family stories as told by my Mother. The mini-documentaries now have a semi-permanent home on offshoot blog from Brand Autopsy. You can access the As Told By GLENNA MOORE blog here. The graphic button on the upper-right hand of this blog has been updated and linked accordingly.

For those unaware ... my Mother, Glenna Moore, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The disease has been progressing as expected. The creeping paralysis has made her legs useless, her speech has become very weak and strained, and she is having greater difficulty breathing.

Fortunately, I sat down with my mother in August 2006 and recorded her telling stories while she shared family photos with me. I’m turning her stories and photos into mini-documentaries which will be shared here and on the As Told By GLENNA MOORE blog. For more of the backstory … go here. You can view the first mini-doc here and view the second mini-doc here.

Over the Christmas break, I put together the third mini-documentary in the series. This short video shares the story of an incomplete poem my Father first began writing to my Mother in the early 70s. My Father titled the poem — The Summer of ’62 — because it was June of 1962 when Glenna Keith Coffey married William Alvin Moore Jr.

The poem traces the shared life they’ve lived together. Through the years, my Father has periodically updated the poem to add new verses to reflect new shared experiences. It’s an incomplete poem because they are still sharing wonderful life experiences together as husband and wife. Enjoy.

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Glenna Moore -- The Summer of ‘62
click the 'play button' below to view

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Direct link to the video on Google

#2 | ALS Hits Home

** If needed, click here for the backstory.**

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The ALS disease is progressing as expected with my Mother. Which means ... each day Glenna Moore finds doing everyday activities like talking, writing, and swallowing a little more difficult to do. She gets around using a nifty scooter and takes more naps during the day to help keep her energy level high at opportune times. This Thanksgiving weekend provided my Mom lots of opportune times to spend with her grandchildren.

I recently completed the second mini-documentary sharing stories and memories from my Mother. It shares photos of all the Moore children beginning with Lana, then Trip, and it closes with the twins—Marty and John (me). With each photo of the children, my Mother shares quick stories and memories. Enjoy.

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RSS Readers … click here to watch the video.

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Click here to view the first Glenna Moore mini-doc.

ALS Hits Home

NOTE: I plan to update this post with more mini-documetaries. So keep scrolling to read/watch updates.

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October 15, 2006

My mother, Glenna Moore, was recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This diagnosis didn’t come as a surprise to the family as her “creeping paralysis” has become much more pronounced in the last few months.

ALS is a neurological disease where motor neurons from the brain stop reaching one’s muscles. When muscles no longer receive neurons, muscles cease to move. And when muscles stop moving, paralysis sets in. There is no cure for ALS and patients that suffer from this disease live a life of work-arounds.

At first, patients use a cane to help steady themselves when walking. And when walking becomes too challenging, patients start using walkers, wheelchairs, and scooters as their work-around to get around. Patients also lose the ability to move their arms and hands and thus need to find new ways to write, eat, dress, etc. One’s speech also becomes affected and eventually, ALS patients lose their ability to speak.

But patients do not lose the ability of their mind, nor the sparkle in their eyes. Dementia does not set in with ALS patients and that is what makes this disease so devastating. Sufferers suffer from the inability to move their voluntary muscles but they do not lose the ability to mentally comprehend what is happening to their body. Eventually, ALS patients lose the ability of their involuntary muscles, namely the ability to breathe, and subsequently patients lose their life.

As I mentioned, the family wasn’t surprised to learn of the ALS diagnosis and I had mentally and spiritually prepared myself for that diagnosis months ago.

And it was months ago when I began a special project to capture some of the stories my mom knows. Glenna Moore is our family historian and resident storyteller. She knows so much about intimate relatives and distant relatives. Unfortunately, I’ve never paid much attention to her stories through the years. I realize now … that’s my loss.

So to make up for my past mistakes of not paying enough attention to her stories, I sat down with my mother in August and recorded her telling stories while she shared family photos with me. I plan to turn her stories and photos into mini-documentaries. The first mini-documentary I’ve put together shares the story of the wedding between my parents, Al and Glenna Moore.

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Glenna Moore -- The Wedding Story
click the 'play button' below to view

RSS readers click here to watch the video.

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And since my mother regularly reads this blog, I must tell her something … your son loves you and thanks you for everything. Keep your spirits high and keep your friends close by. We are all here to help you as you’ve spent your life helping all of us. It’s time for us to return your kindness in full.

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November 27, 2006

The ALS disease is progressing as expected with my Mother. Which means ... each day Glenna Moore finds doing everyday activities like talking, writing, and swallowing a little more difficult to do. She gets around using a nifty scooter and takes more naps during the day to help keep her energy level high at opportune times. This Thanksgiving weekend provided my Mom lots of opportune times to spend with her grandchildren.

I recently completed the second mini-documentary sharing stories and memories from my Mother. It shares photos of all the Moore children beginning with Lana, then Trip, and it closes with the twins—Marty and John (me). With each photo of the children, my Mother shares quick stories and memories. Enjoy.

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Glenna Moore -- And Here Come the Children
click the 'play button' below to view

RSS Readers … click here to watch the video.

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April 30, 2007
Glenna’s mother, Margaretta, was active in keeping scrapbooks throughout her life. Luckily, many of Margaretta’s scrapbooks have survived the years and are still in good enough condition to flip through the pages.

Before ALS progressed with my mother, she shared stories about the people and the photos from a scrapbook her Mom crafted for her when she was a young child.

The following video documentary shares amusing childhood stories from my Mom’s remarkable life. Enjoy.

Direct link to the video on Google

[NOTE: The audio for this documentary was recorded in August of 2006.]

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May 9, 2007
As they finished dinner recently, my parents started reminiscing about their first dates. Luckily, I had my video camera nearby and was able to capture some precious stories and heartfelt footage.

Al and Glenna have been married for nearly 45 years and to hear the unbridled joy in my Dad’s voice thrills me. He truly found the greatest love of all. Enjoy.

Direct link to the video on Google