Letter to Congress calls for swift action to expand access to health care and facilitate social distancing. The ALS Association cosigned a letter with 27 patient and consumer organizations calling on Congress to act decisively to slow the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, particularly among vulnerable populations. 

In summer 2014, as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was raising unprecedented awareness and funds for the fight against the disease, Liz Murray did not know that she was about to become part of the ALS community. Her diagnosis was confirmed later that year. 

When Christian James was heading to the neurologist at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, his son, a student at UC at the time, met up with him for the appointment.

On March 5, The ALS Association launched a weekly podcast, Connecting ALS, that will shine a national spotlight on the people, research, and policy issues central to the fight against ALS. 

We are getting enthusiastic feedback and questions about our partnership with Project ALS to fund a clinical research project for jacifusen, an experimental therapy being developed at Columbia University’s Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center for FUS-associated ALS. We thought it would be helpful to describe the strategy underlying the project.

For the most recent information about the coronavirus (COVID-19), The ALS Association recommends that you reference the websites for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Two days before her birthday in January 2018, Susan Hoerber was diagnosed with ALS. “I was symptomatic for about four years. I knew there was something terribly wrong,” she said. Susan first noticed her symptoms when she struggled to hold a fishing pole. “I was an avid fisherman and outdoors person,” she said. “That's the first time I got kind of scared and I went to the neurologist.”

Joel Shamaskin spent 30 years caring for others as a primary care physician before his ALS diagnosis rushed him into retirement. Over the course of his career he had cared for some patients who had the disease, so by the time he received confirmation of his diagnosis, he and his wife Ann, who was a primary care physician as well, felt like they already knew. But ALS hasn’t taken away his desire to care for others.

The ALS Association and Project ALS announced a joint two-year, $900,000 commitment to pilot a clinical research program for an investigational gene therapy for mutant FUS-associated ALS, at Columbia University’s Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center. This is the first step in developing a comprehensive strategy to treat multiple rare ALS genes.

Learning that you should consider a feeding tube can be overwhelming. It is a lot to take in, particularly in combination with the many medical issues that come with an ALS diagnosis. It is common for patients to be hesitant about it, but often, once they see the benefits of tube feeding, they often regret not making the decision sooner.

The tallies are in for The ALS Association’s research program for the 2020 fiscal year, showing a total commitment of $21.5 million dollars in 70 promising research initiatives around the world.

When the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs take the field for Super Bowl LIV, more than 100 million viewers are expected to tune in from homes, pubs and Super Bowl watch parties across the country. While the game itself is considered an iconic signature sports event for most Americans, many of us also identify this game with the smorgasbord of snacks that generally accompanies game watching. After all, a staggering 1.4 billion chicken wings are expected to be consumed during the big game this year, and the day is one of the biggest days for pizza sales every year.

Tommy May, a member of The ALS Association National Board of Trustees, published a column in Morning Consult, a leading digital media platform among lawmakers, today urging Congress to protect access to noninvasive ventilators. May was diagnosed with ALS in 2005. He has used a ventilator since 2013 when his disease progression made it difficult for him to breathe on his own.

This week, Time reported that flu patterns have been unusual this season, which means it is a good time to talk about ALS and the flu. People with ALS often experience a wide variety of challenges related to weakened swallowing and respiratory muscles, including difficulty managing saliva, coughing, and clearing secretions. Consequently, it’s imperative to take steps to avoid any respiratory infections, especially the flu.

This week The ALS Association launched a major initiative, investing $3 million ($1 million per year over three years) in the first ever ALS Platform Trial. The trial will take place at the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General in collaboration with the Barrow Neurological Institute and the Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS).

This article was originally published on the blog of the ALS Society of Canada on November 15, 2019, with kind thanks for their permission to reuse it.

The first thing one notices upon walking into Jeff and Darlene’s airy bungalow is the feeling of warmth and love that reaches into every corner: it’s present in the family photos that adorn the walls and the tasteful trinkets carrying messages of friendship and hope. And it’s a stark contrast to the second thing that’s evident: the soft, motorized whir of the breathing machine that keeps Jeff alive. It’s a constant reminder of the thin line between life and death – a line with which Jeff and Darlene are all too familiar.

While recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific understanding regarding the physiology of ALS, there is still some mystery and misinformation surrounding the disease.

The ALS Association and 23 partners that represent millions of patients across the country released a statement strongly supporting the petitions filed today by state attorneys general and by the U.S. House of Representatives that seek expedited U.S. Supreme Court review of last month’s Texas v. United States ruling. The ruling endangers patient access to adequate, accessible and affordable health care.

After a lifetime of participating in and leading two-a-day practice sessions, as a running back at the University of Alabama and the NFL, and later becoming a strength and conditioning coach in the NFL, Kerry Goode knew something was wrong when he couldn’t pick up a box.

As 2019 winds down, we look back on some of the important progress made this year in the fight to change the future of ALS. With the hard work and help from so many across the ALS community, the ALS Association was able to make great strides in our key mission areas, bringing us one step closer to our vision of a world without ALS.