Piscotty raising funds for ALS in mom's honor

MESA, Ariz. -- A's outfielder Stephen Piscotty is rallying around his mom, Gretchen, and the entire ALS community through a donation page to raise funds that will help fight the debilitating disease.
Gretchen Piscotty was diagnosed with ALS last May while Stephen was playing with the Cardinals, who facilitated a trade with the A's in December that brought the right fielder home. The family lives in Pleasanton, Calif., which is less than 30 miles from the Coliseum.
"It's relatively hard to see the progression take place," Stephen said. "I feel so bad and I want to try to put a positive spin on it. There are things that are just out of our control and we're just trying to make the best of a bad situation, and through what we're doing hopefully we can one day get to a point where other folks don't have to go through it.
"My mom kind of has that same mentality. She feels like she did nothing wrong. She was always healthy. Just one of those things, and she wants to use her platform now to help now."
Friend and caretaker Beth Sblendorio has been at the forefront of the fundraising efforts and recently committed to racing in the Livermore Half Marathon and the Boston Marathon to honor Gretchen.
Fans can visit youcaring.com/piscotty to learn more about the cause and to make a donation in partnership with the A's Community Fund.
"There are people at our house pretty much 24/7, and they're all great folks and bring a lot of joy to our family, so it's really an awesome thing," Stephen said. "From the comments that people leave on the donation pages, it's pretty heartwarming and it brings tears to your eyes to read some of those. They've come from our community, from the St. Louis community, from the Oakland community. We're just very grateful."