CROMWELL -- According to 2016 Travelers' Co-Chairman and ALS patient, Brian Savo, "this place is very easy, very accessible for someone with a handicap.”
And that’s the way it should be. Diagnosed with ALS eight years ago, it left him in a wheelchair with limited muscle movement.
“As an ALS patient, you don’t have too many opportunities to get out of the house,” said Savo.
It’s the same disease that cut short Travelers' CEO Jay Fishman’s life last year. And that’s when things began to change at the tournament.
For Paul Lahiff, “I cant’ come to a venue like this without a scooter. I can’t walk that far.”
Lahiff needs a scooter to get around. But now, thanks to the Hospital for Special Care, he and 40 other guests, all with Lou Gehrig's Disease, are at Travelers, where everything can now accommodate their needs.
"All radiuses to make sure chairs were set right, tables were set right, railing heights, tree cuttings, bathroom accessibility, railings in the bathrooms” But there’s a lot more to take care of than just being wheelchair accessible , with ALS, there are dietary, and even air conditioning restrictions as well," Savo said.
Savo added, “a fully air conditioned tent, all the dietary needs, they worked with the doctors to make sure everything was taken care of with the patients."
Softer foods were made because some of the guests can’t chew solid foods. The message: everyone is welcomed here, especially those diagnosed with ALS.