Super Bowl watch party helps raise money for former Chicago Bears Steve McMichael in battle with ALS
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Plenty of people are hosting Super Bowl watch parties Sunday, but there is one in the suburbs that is helping raise money for former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve "Mongo" McMichael.
He's battling ALS, which requires around-the-clock care.
It is Super Bowl Sunday, and the beers and pizza started flowing early at the Des Plaines Theatre. So did the goodwill.
A watch party was set up as a fundraiser for former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael, who is currently battling ALS.
RELATED: Bears legend Steve 'Mongo' McMichael shares glimpse inside his ALS battle | America Strong
"The NFL has been really helpful but not helpful enough. It doesn't cover everything. So that's why we're fundraising today, to help cover that gap," said McMichael's wife, Misty.
Part of the 1985 Chicago Bears, McMichael revealed his diagnosis in April 2021. He is now fully paralyzed and has lost his voice as well, but not his will.
"This man is the toughest man I've ever met in my life. He's hanging in there," Misty said. "He's actually better now that he's decided never go back to the hospital because we were going pretty much every month for different things."
Being treated at home means Mongo, as he's affectionately known, requires 24/7 nursing care. Sunday's fundraiser included a showing of the 1985 Super Bowl, to remind folks the joy McMichael and the entire team provided to so many.
"I was there. A lot of us were there and we remember just the joy that the '85 Bears gave us," said Ron Onesti, with Onesti Entertainment. "Those guys weren't football players, they were entertainers who happened to play football.
But amidst the well-wishes and the raffles, there was also a desire to do more than just raise money. Misty's two chosen companions both lost their husbands to ALS over the last two years. They are women who did not have the fortune of notoriety to help with their expenses. Fighting for awareness and a cure is now their life's mission.
RELATED: Steve 'Mongo' McMichael warns of fraudsters trying to make money off his ALS diagnosis
"When my husband was diagnosed, family, friends, complete strangers dropped off gift cards, food at our house. We would have lost our house if it wasn't for the kindness of family friends and strangers," said Kelly Salzburg, who lost her husband to ALS.
"You just have to support each other. You have to raise awareness. We have to take care of each other," said Karen Toole, who also lost her husband to ALS.
Running concurrently with Sunday's event in Des Plaines is a second fundraiser in St. Charles. Both are daylong, free to attend and will run through the big game itself.
