our beginning

Pals for pALS was formed for the purpose of supporting families in the Greater Cincinnati Area who are affected by an ALS diagnosis.

In August 2022, Steve Rumberg was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 51. His family was devastated and slowly began to share the diagnosis with friends and family. Offers of support started to pour in, including an offer from Steve’s fraternity brothers to set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for medical bills and college tuition for his daughter, Eliana.

Steve and his wife, Orly, discussed the offer and decided to go a different route. Steve learned a lot about community service while active in the fraternity and he and Orly have been involved in community service throughout their adult lives. They wanted to be able to help other families affected by ALS and not just themselves. 

Steve and Orly came up with the idea of Pals for pALS based off of their own needs. Steve did most of the cooking during the week. A few months after diagnosis, Steve no longer had the hand strength to cook and Orly was going to have to take over cooking, in addition to all of the other family responsibilities that she was taking over. The idea for Pals for pALS grew from their need to have assistance continuing to provide home cooked meals for the family.  

Pals for pALS recognizes that each family affected by an ALS diagnosis has different needs that arise after an ALS diagnosis and seeks to provide help these families to fill these needs.

Pals for pALS is just getting started and the Rumberg family is excited to see how its mission will evolve!