Beech Tree News Network

Many diseases exist that I don’t understand, and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called "Lou Gehrig's Disease") is high on that list. I have known only a couple of people who have had this disease.

ALS “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….Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing” (http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html). Although there is no real cure for ALS, there are medicines that help. Also, some devices and therapies can help manage the symptoms, helping to maintain as much independence as possible and prolong survival.  

    My sister-in-law’s sister died from ALS, and my best friend’s college roommate has been diagnosed with this disease. My friend called it a “death sentence,” saying that we all die, but most of us don’t know how we’ll die. This disease is not a common disease. “Based on U.S. population studies, a little over 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year….According to the ALS CARE Database, 60% of the people with ALS in the Database are men and 93% of patients in the Database are Caucasian. Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis….Half of all people affected with ALS live at least three or more years after diagnosis. Twenty percent live five years or more; up to ten percent will live more than ten years” (http://www.alsa.org/about-als/who-gets-als.html).

    My friend’s friend has been trying to prepare for the changes coming to her life. She plans to have a handicapped-accessible entrance installed to her house. She has checked on her long-term care insurance, and her daughter recently moved in with her. Unfortunately, she has to think of these things while trying to continue living her life.

ALS is an unrelenting disease. More research about the disease is needed. And, those who have ALS need our prayers.