Emmy Rossum, who plays a caretaker of a woman with ALS in 'You're Not You, also joins Witherspoon, Zellweger and Katharine McPhee in the walk.
- October 20, 2014
AceShowbiz -
Some stars joined forces in a walk on Sunday morning, October 19 in L.A. to bring awareness to ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, which received much attention earlier this year due to ice bucket challenge. Reese Witherspoon, Renee Zellweger, Emmy Rossum, Katharine McPhee and Elyes Gabel were among famous faces who took part in the walk which was held near Exposition Park.
The "Wild" star, the "Chicago" actress and the "Shameless" star showed up to show support to publicist Nanci Ryder who was diagnosed with the degenerative disease. "With Nanci's new diagnosis, we rallied all of our friends because we didn't want her to feel that she was going to go down this road by herself," Zellweger told EW.
Rossum recently played a caretaker of an ALS patient, played by Hilary Swank, in "You're Not You". "To have lived that and understood it so in depth, having researched it to make the film, and then have Nanci diagnosed was a really hard punch," she added. "I think what's so hard about this illness is we have no idea what causes it and there's no cure, so being here is incredibly moving and empowering for me. Just to be here to support Nanci is really important."
Ryder also attended the Sunday walk. "I want to create awareness for this disease. I went through a down phase but you cannot fight when you're down so I adjusted that. You can't give up. You have to fight," Ryder told E! News, adding that she was "overwhelmed" by the support. "I feel so loved. I think we tend not to appreciate that, but now I really do."
Witherspoon shared a photo of her from the event, calling Nanci "a symbol of strength and beauty in this world." The Walk to Defeat ALS event, hosted by ALS Association, was attended by 3,000 to 5,000 people, according to the organizer.
LoadingAt ALS Walk Los Angeles with my dear friend Nanci who was diagnosed with ALS in August. Thank you to everyone who participated in #icebucketchallenge and fights against #ALS! We are gonna beat this terrible disease! Nanci, you are a symbol of strength and beauty in this world . I �¢ï¿½�¤�¯�¸ï¿½you and I am with you in this fight.
LoadingAt the #ALS walk in LA to support my dear friend Nanci Ryder who was recently diagnosed. Let's walk together to raise money to find a cure! #strikeoutals #TeamNanci
