Asia is a resilient 32-year-old woman living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), first diagnosed at the young age of 26. Her journey has been marked by profound challenges, but even more so by determination, courage, and a refusal to let ALS define her.

Since her diagnosis in 2017, Asia has remained under the care of the multidisciplinary team at the Carolinas Neuromuscular/ALS-MDA Center, receiving ongoing support from a comprehensive network of specialists. In spite of ALS’s progressive impact on her mobility, speech, and respiratory function, Asia has chosen to fight back not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

Asia is passionately pursuing activity-based therapy and adaptive fitness training to preserve her leg strength, improve endurance, and maintain mobility and posture. She has expressed a strong desire to gain the skills needed for safety, strength, and independence as her condition progresses. Her commitment is not just to survive with ALS it’s to thrive within it.

After visiting the Back to Independence Rehab Gym and engaging with their neuro fitness program, Asia has demonstrated a deep interest in evidence-based exercise approaches tailored to individuals with neurodegenerative conditions. Her goal is to undergo therapy three times per week to optimize her function and quality of life.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the emotional toll of ALS led to a season of isolation and depression, but in 2020, Asia made a promise to herself: to find something joyful to pursue every month. That commitment has become her compass. She is now stepping forward boldly to reengage with the world, rebuild her confidence, and redefine her independence.

Receiving the 2024 scholarship would be more than financial support it would be a life-affirming opportunity for Asia to fully step into a chapter of empowerment, hope, and possibility.