By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kevin Heidrich (center), with his sisters Linda Heidrich Wilkin (left) and Ann Heidrich Maniacci, organized a drive to raise money for ALS research. The Cincinnati Enquirer/PATRICK REDDY

EDGEWOOD - Performing one of those endless and unheralded parental duties - clipping a child's toenail - Kevin Heidrich noticed something was wrong.

"I couldn't get the strength to squeeze the clipper," he said. "I figured it was stress or too much caffeine or something minor. I just figured it would pass."

It didn't. It lingered and invaded the body of a vibrant man, a devoted husband and father.

What started for Heidrich, 43, as a weakness in the arm in 1998 turned out to be Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS. It is known as Lou Gehrig's disease, named after the New York Yankees star of the 1920s and 30s.

There was no cure then for Gehrig, who died of ALS in 1941. And there's no cure today for the approximately 300,000 Americans who suffer the malady.

But driven by hope, Heidrich, his family and more than 100 friends are helping raise thousands of dollars for ALS research and patient care.

For the fifth year a group of runners for ALS will participate in Sunday's Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. Each gather donations, with the money going to an endowment at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine that is working to cure and treat ALS patients.

"I wanted to do something positive, to make something good out of all of this," said Heidrich, who, lives in Edgewood with his wife, Jill, and their children, Samantha, 13, and Clay, 10.

The effort is known as Team 7 Fighting ALS, named for Heidrich's jersey number when he played quarterback for Dixie Heights High School. The runners are known for their distinctive orange shirts.

"People recognize the Team 7 runners," said Heidrich's sister, Ann Heidrich Maniacci, one of the event organizers. "They hear a lot of cheering and encouragement because so many people watching the race know what we are trying to accomplish."

Linda Heidrich Wilkin, another sister, first ran in the Flying Pig on her brother's behalf with three other runners in 2000. The number grew to 17, then 86, then 130.

About 110 are expected this year.

"We raised $75,000 last year, and should do at least $50,000 this year," Wilkin said. "But if we have a lot of contributions come in late, we might be able to do $75,000 again."

"It's very humbling and I'm very honored," said Heidrich, who maneuvers through his home in a motorized wheel chair.

"People always tell me to keep the money for my own needs," Heidrich said. "I couldn't do that. I want to help others who don't have the support I do."

ALS is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Even though he is paralyzed with only limited movement in one hand, Heidrich still often speaks to schools about ALS.

"The hardest part of this disease is accepting the realization that I no longer am able to participate in activities of daily living," Heidrich wrote in a letter to Team 7 runners. "When you are out there Sunday, rest assured that a little part of me will be running with you."

Maureen Kroness of Edgewood has helped raised more than $5,000 for the effort over the last five years. She said people want to help because "the Heidrichs are such great people."

"No matter what happens, they just keep marching on," said Kroness.

"Kevin was always such a funny, fun-loving guy," she said. "Even now, his attitude is amazing and their faith as a family is incredible. That pulls them through a lot of this.

"People want to help them and be a part of what they are doing. They just keep marching on."

Information about Kevin Heidrich and Team 7 Fighting ALS is available at www.team7fightingals.org. Contributions to the effort can be made to the UK Medical Center, 343 Waller Ave., Suite 205, Lexington, KY 40504. Checks should include "Team 7 Endowment Fund" on the memo line. Contributions can also be made at Fifth Third Bank branches.

E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com