Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (aka ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a progressive neurological disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. When motor neurons that connect nerves and muscles die, people lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement. Without stimulation, muscles become weak and atrophy. Most people with ALS become totally paralyzed as they lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow, and breathe.

Every 90 minutes, someone with ALS dies and another person is diagnosed.

The average age of diagnosis is 55; however, cases of ALS also appear in people in their 20s and 30s.

Military veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population. Athletes also seem to be more susceptible. No one is sure why.

The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is 2-5 years. 20% live 5 years or more; 10% percent live more than 10 years.

There is no effective treatment for ALS. The only approved drugs for ALS only slow down the decline by a few months.