This is the fourth in a series of posts from people living with ALS who are featured in our #VoiceYourLove campaign. This time of year brings memories of two important days in my life.
This is the third in a series of posts from people living with ALS who are featured in our #VoiceYourLove campaign. Nanci Ryder, a renowned Hollywood publicist and co-founder of BWR Public Relations, was diagnosed with ALS in 2014. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to raise public awareness about ALS, and to advance the search for effective treatments and cures for ALS, with the help of her many friends and supporters. Along with her family and friends, like Renée Zellweger and Courteney Cox, she has participated in the Los Angeles County Walk to Defeat ALS as “Team Nanci”, raising over $690,000 in support of the ALS community.
Carmen Schentrup had a dream: a world without ALS. Her career aspiration was to become a medical researcher and to be part of The ALS Association’s work to cure ALS. Tragically, Carmen’s life was cut short in the horrific Parkland shooting. However, her dream to contribute to a cure is being realized in a significant way.
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Ryan Farnsworth, whose story is featured as a part of our #VoiceYourLove campaign, died yesterday evening surrounded by his family. Ryan was diagnosed with ALS in January 2015, at the age of 29. As active ambassadors of The ALS Association’s mission and vision, Ryan and his family selflessly moved us closer to our vision to create a world without ALS.
A sad update about #VoiceYourLove ambassador Ryan Farnsworth: It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Ryan Farnsworth died the evening of February 19, surrounded by his family. As active ambassadors of The ALS Association’s mission and vision, Ryan and his family selflessly moved us closer to our vision to create a world without ALS. Read more here.
This is the first in a series of posts from people living with ALS who are featured in our #VoiceYourLove campaign. Before I was diagnosed with ALS, I didn’t know much about it - just that it was a debilitating disease. I was 27 years old and had no idea what to expect. I certainly didn’t plan for how much love it would bring into my life.
Every two years, hundreds of ALS health care professionals come together to discuss new trends, share best practices and guidelines, exchange ideas and successes, and talk about challenges and potential solutions. To capture the collaborative power of the 2018 event in Fort Worth, Texas – our largest-ever Clinical Conference, with more than 500 attendees – we put together a short video highlight reel.
At our most recent clinical conference, we honored Frances (Fran) McClellan with the Lawrence A. Rand Prize. The award recognizes the courage, passion, integrity, and commitment of people serving the ALS community as volunteers, health care professionals, educators, communicators, or in other ways contributing to the quality of life of people living with ALS. It was established by Lawrence Rand, a former chairman of the Association’s Board of Trustees who played a major role in laying the cornerstone of what is now The ALS Association.
Today we launched a new public awareness campaign featuring Hall of Fame quarterback and FOX Sports announcer Terry Bradshaw that raises awareness of ALS and the progress that has been made since the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014.
We had the pleasure of joining ALS scientists, clinicians, health care professionals, industry and advocacy partners, and, most importantly, people with ALS and their families at the annual events hosted by the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations and the MND Association last month. It’s always a great opportunity to come together and learn from each other.
My interest in photography began when I was the high school yearbook photographer. I really don’t know why I volunteered because, at the time, I didn’t even own a camera.
As assistant professor of Neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., I fight ALS by working every day in the lab to find a cure for this devastating disease. My work focuses on optimizing ALS biomarkers to track and better understand the most common genetic mutation in inherited ALS, called C9orf72.
It is with heavy hearts that we share that Stephen Winthrop, Chair of The ALS Association Board of Trustees and person with ALS, died peacefully early Monday morning. Our hearts are with his wife, Jane, and their two daughters.
In 2018, many new research discoveries and collaborations accelerated the momentum toward finding treatments and a cure for ALS. We helped lead the way by awarding new grants to top scientists and clinicians all over the world.
The ALS Association joined 37 patient groups opposing a decision from a federal court in Texas that declared the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional. The Texas v. United States decision is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
The ALS Association is proud to be the first investor in antisense technology, dating back to 2004 when antisense was just an idea in Dr. Don Cleveland’s lab at University of California San Diego (UCSD). Fast forward to 2018 and we are seeing promising results in antisense drugs targeting the two most common causes of inherited ALS, mutations in the SOD1 and C9orf72 genes.
Dr. Brian Wainger from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) presented initial top-level results from a recently completed phase II clinical trial of ezogabine (retigabine) on motor neuron excitability (NCT02450552). The study, supported by The ALS Association, met its main goal of quantifying a reduction in motor neuron excitability in people with ALS following treatment. Results were presented during the 29th International Symposium on ALS/MND in Glasgow, Scotland, last week.
I was diagnosed with ALS in January 2014, at the age of 53. I was an oncology nurse for 32 years and had just completed my master’s degree in nursing and passed the boards to become a nurse practitioner when I was diagnosed. Being a nurse practitioner had always been a dream of mine, but I was unable to use my master’s degree at all because of ALS.
People living with ALS come first in everything we do. We’re dedicated to providing people fighting ALS and their families and friends with the critical information, support, and resources they need to live full lives and better meet daily challenges.
