The Impact of ALS Awareness – Charlie and Angie Wren

Charlie Wren and his wife, Angelina (Angie) Flores Wren met each other at school around the first grade. They reconnected later as adults over social media and got married 14 years ago. When they got married, Charlie told Angie that he was going to make life interesting, and he meant it.

In July 2015, Charlie noticed that he had an uncontrollable twitching in his shoulders, so he saw a neurologist and was told that it was probably ALS and to put his affairs in order. Before his diagnosis, neither Charlie or Angie had heard of the disease.

Charlie and Angie joined the Kern County Walk to Defeat ALS in 2016 to help drive the search for effective treatments and cures for ALS and raise support for those affected by ALS. Their team, Charlie’s Angels, won the Spirit Trophy at the Kern County Walk to Defeat ALS in 2021.

In 2021, Charlie and Angie were given a special opportunity to share their story and raise awareness for ALS. They were asked to be part of the PBS documentary, Matter of Mind: My ALS. Directed by Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green, the filmmakers follow three individuals living with ALS, including Charlie and Angie to highlight the different challenges they face in their everyday lives following their diagnoses. The film premiered in May 2023, and was shown across several film festivals and broadcast on PBS. Cumulatively, there have been 1.2 million views of this powerful documentary as of August 2023.

“Angie and I feel that it’s important to be a part of something bigger than us. An interesting opportunity presented itself when we were asked to be part of a documentary with PBS about ALS. 

We are also sharing our story in other ways, like through the Golden West Chapter Walk to Defeat ALS. With both of these projects, it has been our goal to raise ALS awareness broadly and support for every person affected by ALS.”

-Charlie and Angie Wren

“Like so many of the people with ALS that we have met, Charlie and Angie live through incredible challenges with grace and good humor.

Angie and Charlie, you are amazing. We cannot thank you enough for choosing to share your story with all the ups and all the downs, with us and the public.”

-Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green

To celebrate the 2023 Kern County Walk to Defeat ALS Kickoff, the ALS community had the opportunity to gether together to watch the documentary at the Studio Grill in Bakersfield. It was an eventful night where people living with ALS and their families to build connections and see the inspirational stories of others also affected by the disease.

“From the beginning, Charlie and Angie have been candid and open with their lives along this journey with ALS, no matter how difficult at times,” said Golden West Care Manager Robin Eller. “I don’t think it was ever a question or any hesitation when asked to participate in the documentary.”

“You can imagine how vulnerable this would make them both feel, letting a camera crew of strangers in your home, but awareness and education have always been very important to Charlie and Angie. Their hope is that this documentary and their story may help other individuals and families fight this terrible disease. We thank them for being such an inspiration to all of us.”

Our deepest gratitude to the entire Wren family for sharing your story with Golden West and the ALS community! We invite you to share your ALS story as well. In doing so, you are making a difference as we work together to ensure access to essential care services and to drive the search for effective treatments and cures. 

You can also inspire people to get involved in raising ALS awareness and support by joining Golden West’s Walk to Defeat ALS events.