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May is ALS Awareness Month: Join the ALS Network and the urgent fight for treatments and cures
May is ALS Awareness Month and The ALS Network is committed to raising awareness and understanding of the disease by bringing attention to the needs of people living with ALS.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with ALS lose the ability to walk, speak, and eventually, breathe. The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from diagnosis. ALS is not contagious and does not discriminate however, those who have served in any branch of the military are diagnosed with ALS nearly twice as often as the general population. The cost of care for a person with ALS is estimated to be more than $250,000 annually. The disease is fatal and there is no known cure.
The ALS Network serves more than 2000 people living with the disease across the nation along with their families, providing the very best care and support to improve quality of life as people navigate this challenging disease. Together with the ALS community, we strive to provide access to quality care, promote initiatives, and improve health outcomes for those living with ALS.
“We are urgently focused on advancing the three pillars of our mission: care, research, and advocacy,” said Sheri Strahl, MPH, MBA, president and CEO of the ALS Network. “This is a perfect time to shine a light on how we can all make an impact on the lives of people living with ALS and move closer to finding treatments and cures.”
“The ALS Network has a lot of resources and meeting other people with ALS and their caregivers and their loved ones has been important to me and to my family,” said David Buseck, board member and person with ALS. “To be able to learn from them and have that connection with other people who are living with this disease is very helpful.”
The ALS Network is encouraging people who want to help fight ALS and support families living with the disease to get involved by participating in local events, becoming an advocate, or donating to ALS research to find a cure.
- Learn about how the ALS Network is raising awareness during ALS Awareness Month.
- Learn more about how you can get involved in the fight against ALS.
- Register for a Walk & Roll to Cure ALS event near you across California and Hawaii.
- Sign up to become an advocate for people with ALS.
- Donate to the ALS Network to fuel the search for prevention strategies, effective treatments and cures for ALS, and to support free-of-charge care services for people living with the ALS and their loved ones.
For more information about ALS and the ALS Network please visit our website at alsnetwork.org or email us at info@alsnetwork.org. You can also find us on social media at @yourALSnetwork.
About The ALS Network
The mission of the ALS Network is to partner with the ALS community as we drive the discovery of prevention strategies, treatments, and cures for ALS; provide access to quality care and connection; and promote initiatives to improve health outcomes. The ALS Network, formerly the ALS Association Golden West Chapter, serves people with ALS and their families throughout California and Hawaii. Everything we do advances the search for prevention strategies, effective treatments, and cures for ALS.