Our Story

The Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to raise money for research and awareness about the degenerative neuromuscular disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Larry Fernandez and his two daughters, Natalie and Andrea, established the foundation in 2012 in honor of his wife and their mother, Martha Olson-Fernandez. The foundation exists so that funds may be raised to find a cure for ALS. Monies collected by the foundation go directly to ALS clinical research locations such as the Forbes Norris ALS Research and Treatment Center in San Francisco, CA and ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) in Cambridge, MA. A large sum of our money is also donated to the ALS Association Golden West Chapter to fuel the collaboration established in December 2014 in order to better serve patients on the Central Coast of California, where Martha lived with her husband and two daughters. As of December 1, 2013 the Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation accomplished its preliminary goal of raising $100,000 to donate to the Forbes Norris ALS Clinic in San Francisco, California. The Forbes Norris Clinic is one of the top centers for ALS treatment in the world. At this clinic, Martha received infusions of the leading experimental ALS medications. Patients continue to participate in these drug trials to help future patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A treatment or cure must be found soon. The money raised after the initial $100,000 is being directed toward supporting individuals who are seeking treatment for ALS on the Central Coast of California, and also towards raising awareness about the disease on a domestic and eventually an international platform. Since the accomplishment of its preliminary goal, the foundation began a collaboration with the ALS Association Golden West Chapter in order to assist patients with limited financial resources on the Central Coast of California. Meeting the monetary needs of these patients and their families can help them get access to the level of care, technology, and resources that they need to fight this battle. The MOFF is constantly motivated by research, as finding a cure is truly the only way to beat ALS. That being said, the MOFF developed a relationship with ALS TDI, the first and largest nonprofit biotech dedicated solely to ALS research, in late 2015. In January 2016, it made its first donation of $20,000 to the ALS TDI research facilities in Cambridge, MA. The Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation is run by Martha’s husband, Larry Fernandez, and his two daughters, Natalie and Andrea Fernandez. Please join us to help support this cause.