The ALS Association is launching a campaign to engage kids and teenagers in the fight against ALS, issuing the ALS Youth Challenge and celebrating the first-ever ALS Youth Action Day. Our chapters across the country will be partnering with youth organizations in their communities to identify future activists and philanthropists who will help to defeat ALS by accepting the ALS Youth Challenge.
Even though ALS is a disease that has its own health implications, people with ALS are not immune from other injuries or medical issues. Individuals with ALS can still get sick or hurt themselves in ways unrelated to the disease. Or, people with ALS might have complications directly related to the disease that warrants a visit to the hospital.
ALS can be confusing, scary, embarrassing, and overwhelming – for people living with the disease as well as for the youth within their families. Young people need age-appropriate details about ALS to help reduce some of the fear and uncertainty surrounding the disease.
This is the fifth in a series of posts from people living with ALS who are featured in our #VoiceYourLove campaign. Lorene composed this message using assistive communication technology with a visual-tracking system. She typed the words, one letter at a time, using her eyes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Before being diagnosed with ALS, I had no idea that veterans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with the disease. Even knowing what I know now, I would still serve my country.
