February 17th, 1996 was the last day he ever saw his father, yet Dr. Lewis Jassey often feels like it was just yesterday.

“I try to do anything I can to keep his spirit alive,” Lewis said. “Because without that there would be nothing left of him.”

So the 39 year old pediatrician from Long Island, New York, does anything he can to fill the void left after his father’s untimely death over 13 years ago. Dr. Marvin Jassey succumbed to a horrible disease that many of us have grown to know as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis is an illness that slowly and devastatingly strips a person from motor skills that they need for everyday life, yet does nothing to them cognitively.

“One of the more challenging issues in dealing with my father’s condition,” the younger Dr. Jassey explained. “Was that he was a physician and knew everything about ALS. Because this didn’t impair his ability to think you couldn’t pretend that this wouldn’t ultimately progress any further with him.”

Although Dr. Marvin Jassey had already buried a mother and sister from this affliction, he remained optimistic throughout his fight. Maybe it was because he had 3 children with promise he had yet to see fulfilled. Or maybe it was just his nature. But for an illness that has the tendency to take the life of its victim within the first year of diagnosis, Dr. Jassey fought relentlessly for five. With his fight, this father of three taught his sons an important lesson: The lesson of perseverance.

“His will not to give up and to remain optimistic no matter what obstacles we face is a big part of his legacy,” Dr. Lewis Jassey added. Perhaps that’s a big part of why two of his sons, Lewis and Jonathan, went on to graduate medical school and become physicians themselves, and why his other son, Adam, successfully completed law school.

Meanwhile, 13 years have gone by and life has moved on. His sons are all married with children of their own and the memory of Grandpa Marvin lives on only through old pictures and memorable stories.

One son, Dr. Lewis Jassey, has a passion for music. So in the early morning hours of June 11th, 2003, Lewis completed a song he had started that painted a mental picture of his late father.

“I reminisced about the times we shared,” Lewis said. “And captured the emptiness I felt by him missing out on some very important moments in my family’s life.” He said he did this because he “wanted to keep his father’s spirit alive.”

“What better way than through one of my passions?” Lewis added.

The words are touching, the message is poignant. Dr. Lewis Jassey (who also goes by the stage name of Doc J) captured a raw emotion on his song “Hey Dad” that others share. Many who listen to the song become teary eyed.

“My dad was a very good man,” Lewis said. “Perhaps through my song, others who missed out will get a chance to know him. They would have really liked him.”

“Doc J”, along with fellow vocalist Stevie “Nyche” Hinds, long time producer Garth Mitchell and management from Wisenheimer Global have teamed up with the ALS Association Greater New York Chapter to coordinate releasing his song, “Hey Dad” around Father’s Day as a tribute to the late Dr. Marvin Jassey. The effort will raise money for ALS research.

“Thousands have already died from this brutal and merciless killer,” Dr. Lewis Jassey said. “We hope to raise public awareness about how much people truly suffer with this disease, and hopefully enough money to make a difference in ultimately finding a cure.”

100% of the net proceeds generated by the sale of the song “Hey Dad” will go to this cause. You can listen to this moving musical creation at www.docjmusic.com.

Dr. Marvin Jassey, as a family practioner, had a rare and wonderful bedside manner running out in the middle of the night, or in snow storms or on very little sleep to make house calls to be there for his patients whenever they needed him. He made a difference in so many lives. Maybe Dr. Marvin Jassey, the original Doc J, in his death can help in making a difference in the lives of others who need him once again. Please visit website and consider making a donation and spreading the word.

Visit the ALS Association online at www.als-ny.org