Francis “Frankie” Holland
Francis “Frankie” Holland was a Vietnam veteran who received a purple heart for his service during the war. In April of 2009, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This disease is often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” As described on the ALS foundation’s website, this disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for this disease.
I’d like to tell you a little about Frankie. He was a wonderful and caring person. He was always there when you needed help. He was a member of several organizations, including the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Joint Veterans Committee of Maryland, the VFW, and the Upper Marlboro Lions Club. He was devoted to veterans returning from war, ensuring they got the benefits they deserved. He also visited with veterans at Walter Reed Army Hospital, providing them with phone cards so they could call their loved ones.
Other than helping people, Frankie’s hobbies included building street rods, listening to country music, and working in his yard. Unfortunately, this disease caused Frankie to lose the use of both arms so he couldn’t do much with his street rods, but he still listened to his country music! Thankfully, this disease did not affect his spirit and his drive to help others.
In late 2009, Frankie told me one thing that he really wanted to do is have a car, truck and motorcycle show to raise money for the Veterans and those with ALS. I thought this is my time to help and make it happen. The event took place on May 15, 2010, at Baysox Stadium in Bowie, MD. It was a great success and we raised alot of money for both the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the ALS Association. Frankie was so excited! He was always talking about the car show. It was really great that he had something to look forward to and keep his mind off his illness.
Unfortunately, Frankie passed away in August of 2010, but I know that he would want us to continue his quest to help others.
Francis “Frankie” Holland
Helpin' Others Third Annual Custom & Classic Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show 