Local woman remembers her father

When Agoura Hills resident David Rozzen, an engineer for KABC-TV in Glendale, lost his battle with bulbar onset ALS last June, his wife Marian and children Michelle, Brian and Daniel vowed to honor his courageous spirit and press on for a cure to the disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Rozzen continued to work at KABC-TV long after learning of the diagnosis in 2002. The disease ultimately robbed him of his speech, movement in his hands and feet and his ability to breathe and eat. His strength and determination was an inspiration to his family.

His 22-year-old daughter, Michelle, a water polo player and creative arts major at San Jose State University, has created a red "Never Give Up" wristband to increase awareness of the debilitating, as-yet incurable disease and to support the work of the ALS Association.

She was inspired by bicyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, whose foundation created the "Live Strong" campaign, offering wristbands bearing that motto for sale to support cancer research.

On the inside of her "Never Give Up" wristband is a special inscription: "in memory of all PALS."

Wristbands are available for $1 each; all proceeds benefit the ALS Association’s (ALSA) Greater Los Angeles Chapter, which supports research to find a cure and provides services to ALS patients and their families.

Instrumental in helping the wristband campaign was her aunt, Helen Welsh, a fashion accessories entrepreneur.

Marian Rozzen, Michelle’s mother, is family chairperson for the ALSA Greater Los Angeles Chapter’s Walk toD’Feet ALS, a fundraiser conducted by ALSA chapters in the spring and fall.

Michelle’s brothers, Daniel, 16, and Brian, a 19-year-old firefighter, are "top sales assistants, promoting the wristbands wherever they go," Michelle said.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The cause of ALS is not completely understood, and there is not currently a cure or treatment that halts or reverses ALS.

For more information, please call (818) 706-3675 or visit www.nevergiveup4pals.org.