Carianne “Cari” Meystrik is a true hero to her family, friends and the entire staff at The ALS Association Tennessee Chapter. Cari and her husband Chris had only been married for 6 ½ years when she was diagnosed with ALS in 1998 while pregnant with her fourth child. The couple thought their dreams of growing old together and raising a family were over. Instead, despite the various obstacles brought on by ALS, the Meystrik family has had incredible adventures and made precious memories that carry them through the tough times.

The ALS Association has formally objected to the use of controversial measures to evaluate ALS drugs that can make it harder to find effective new ALS treatments and get them to the ALS community as quickly as possible. These measures have been identified by the National Council on Disability as being inherently discriminatory against people with disabilities.

While good nutrition is important for everyone, it can be very challenging for people living with ALS to maintain a healthy diet due to chewing and swallowing difficulties. Improper nutrition can cause people to feel tired, lower their resistance to infection, speed the loss of muscle mass, cause constipation and lead to a host of other health problems. Below are some important facts to know and tips on maintaining good nutrition despite having ALS.

The history of the Wisconsin "CheeseWheel" and the ALS Association Wisconsin Chapter

The first one to show, the last one to go with smiles and laughs the whole way through. ALSA Wisconsin Chapter Volunteer Mike "Mr. Smiley" Howe, is our Hometown Hero this month.

The ALS Association has awarded $3.6 million to four interventional trials through its new Clinical Trial Awards program. The Clinical Trial Awards program is open to industry and academic investigators proposing novel or repositioning approaches for ALS.

Ricky and Carole Neal met on July 4th, 1985 at a car crash scene and experienced what some call "love at first sight." In the face of ALS, the couple moves forward together building mountains of support around them.

In 2016, Troy Fields had everything going for him. A beautiful and growing family. A highly successful and satisfying career that allowed him to travel internationally. But he also started to notice signs that something wasn’t quite right. After treatment for cancer and a battery of other tests, his ALS diagnosis was eventually confirmed. Instead of focusing on what he was going to lose, Troy opted to channel his energies to be an agent of change for the ALS community.

Despite divorce amidst the ALS diagnosis, Gladys and Hector Villalobos remain friends and proud grandparents. Their hearts remain full of love for their family.

Spring feels like it’s just around the corner for most of us, and that means ALS communities nationwide are preparing to kick off their 2022 Walk to Defeat ALS® events. And if the hard work and dedication we see each year from our incredible volunteers and families is any indication, it’s sure to be yet another amazing opportunity to join the fight for all those impacted by ALS.

Heidi Tarr Henson, diagnosed with ALS last spring, shares thoughts about her personal journey living with the disease, what courage means to her and how she strives every day to embrace and live by this powerful virtue.

Runners in the annual Jerusalem Marathon are supporting The ALS Association Florida Chapter for the first time ever in 2022, because of Deena Sue.

Connecting ALS recently sat down with Sarah Trott to learn more about her experience as an ALS caregiver for her father who recently lost his battle with ALS, and better understand the challenges with grief she has experienced and the steps she is taking to overcome her terrible loss.

To help make the most of your Super Bowl watch party this year, we are providing you with a few highly nutritious, delicious, easy-to-swallow Super Bowl staples the whole family will enjoy!

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) issued a request for input recently to help guide its work supporting ALS research. The ALS Association is submitting input telling the agency that speed matters. We are encouraging NINDS and the rest of NIH to focus to find ways to use research to advance the health of people with ALS as quickly as possible.

​Each year on February 11, the world celebrates International Day of Women and Girls in Science Day. This year we’re shining a spotlight on Dr. Allison Ebert, Ph.D., Leadership Team Member at The ALS Association Wisconsin Chapter & professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Ebert breaks down the challenges of finding effective therapies for people living with ALS and the important work happening in her lab.

The Langleys hosted a Sarasota Ice Bucket Challenge at their home in order to achieve more awareness and fundraising for ALS and research.

In most people’s journey living with ALS, they will be faced with the decision of using a feeding tube to help maintain proper nutrition and enhance their quality of life. The following resources have been developed to provide you with the knowledge you need to help make this decision with the minimum amount of stress and difficulty. 

The Institute of Clinical and Economic Review, commonly known as ICER, has opened a review of AMX0035 to determine the cost-effectiveness of the drug. The ALS Association is committed to making sure ICER’s review does not discriminate against people with ALS and that its analysis does not prevent people with ALS from accessing promising treatments.

Elizabeth Bradley lost her husband Woody to ALS, and has used his passing as inspiration to pursue a Master of Science in Psychology.
To complete her research project, she needs survey responses soon!