WHO WE ARE
On September 19, 2018 the lives of Kevin and Shelly Donovan and their 3 children were changed forever, when Kevin was diagnosed with Bulbar Onset Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a degenerative neuromuscular disease for which there is currently no cure. It is 100% fatal, and the average lifespan is 3-5 years after diagnosis, although the path of progression varies widely. Unfortunately, Kevin's battle with ALS ended suddenly on January 3rd, 2022.
ALS is a family disease, meaning that when someone is diagnosed, it affects their whole family and leaves an enormous amount of collateral damage in its wake. Once Kevin was diagnosed, the Donovan family was determined to take on their battle with positivity. They believed that they had 2 choices...they could LIVE with ALS or sit around and DIE from it. Throughout their ALS journey, they strived to maintain as much independence as possible for Kevin, and they kept very active by living life to the fullest on "fast forward" to make sure Kevin made the most of his time. The list of Kevin's travels and adventures while LIVING with ALS is long, and he truly LIVED more in 3 years than many people LIVE in 30 years.
The Donovan family was able to make sure that Kevin continued to enjoy life and make as many wonderful memories with friends and family as possible in large part due to the support of Team Donovan Cincy. Team Donovan Cincy is a large network of friends and family that supported the Donovan family in a multitude of ways during their ALS journey. The Donovans always felt so blessed to have an amazing outpouring of love and kindness from this support network, and their greatest comfort on their journey was that they knew they would never walk alone...Team Donovan Cincy was always by their side.
Unfortunately, not every person living with ALS has a network behind them the size of Team Donovan Cincy. The Donovan family realized this, and even before Kevin passed away, they began to dream about founding the Kevin W. Donovan Foundation to help other families living with ALS live life to the fullest on their ALS journey. Now, the dream has become reality.
WHAT WE DO
Our mission is simple.
We want to help those diagnosed with ALS in the Greater Cincinnati Area and beyond to LIVE life to the fullest with ALS by making wonderful memories with family and friends, just as Kevin did. We do this by providing financial assistance to pALS (persons living with ALS) for travel, attending a special event, or fulfilling a unique adventure of their choice.
While an ALS diagnosis can be devastating and hard to manage, it does not mean that there is no joy left to be had from life. We want to help people find that joy and have amazing experiences with friends and family.
The Kevin W. Donovan Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax deductible.