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Community Gathers for the 2023 Kern County Walk to Defeat ALS® Kickoff and Movie Night,
Featuring a Special Screening of a PBS Documentary Featuring Charlie Wren

July 14, 2023 Comments Off on Community Gathers for the 2023 Kern County Walk to Defeat ALS® Kickoff and Movie Night,
Featuring a Special Screening of a PBS Documentary Featuring Charlie Wren

The Golden West Chapter will host the Kern County Walk to Defeat ALS Kickoff and Movie Night on Thursday, July 20, 2023 at Studio Movie Grill in Bakersfield. The Kickoff event will include a red carpet event at 5:00 PM, and then a special screening at 5:30 PM of the PBS documentary, “Matter of Mind:…

Artificial intelligence helps ALS patients preserve their voices

July 12, 2023 Comments Off on Artificial intelligence helps ALS patients preserve their voices

With the help of artificial intelligence, ALS patients are able to preserve their ability to speak. Dr. Jon LaPook has more.

Q&A: Using software engineering to bring back speech in ALS

July 12, 2023 Comments Off on Q&A: Using software engineering to bring back speech in ALS

Erin Kunz took a circuitous route to studying the brain. The third year PhD student in Electrical Engineering started her career developing autonomous vehicles at General Motors (GM) — but now she uses her software engineering and machine learning skills in the Neural Prosthetics Translational Laboratory at Stanford, led by faculty members Jamie Henderson and the…

Researchers report advance in immunotherapy against ALS

July 12, 2023 Comments Off on Researchers report advance in immunotherapy against ALS

New research suggests that targeting autoimmune inflammation associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using two drugs, one of them already approved for multiple sclerosis, could be a promising approach for treatment. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It…

My ALS Story – Steve Witt and His Family

July 11, 2023 Comments Off on My ALS Story – Steve Witt and His Family

Steve Witt was diagnosed with ALS in May 2022. As a former copywriter at several New York advertising agencies for much of his career, Steve decided to put his writing skills to use with the monthly ALS journal, No Leg to Stand On. His dark, sometimes raw and profane, but always humorous take on ALS…

Celebrating 3rd Annual Lou Gehrig Day and Major League Baseball

July 7, 2023 Comments Off on Celebrating 3rd Annual Lou Gehrig Day and Major League Baseball

The Golden West Chapter is proud to have celebrated the 3rd Annual Lou Gehrig Day in partnership with Major League Baseball, which honors the legacy of Lou Gehrig and all those lost to the disease that bears his name. The goal of Lou Gehrig Day is to celebrate the ALS community and raise ALS awareness…

A special announcement from Golden West Leadership

July 6, 2023 Comments Off on A special announcement from Golden West Leadership

As a valued member of our ALS community, we have important news to share with you on behalf of our Board of Directors and leadership team. As of September 1, 2023, fifteen chapters, currently members of the ALS Association, will legally separate from the organization. This includes Golden West. These chapters represent nearly half of…

San Francisco Giants honors, remembers, and celebrates our ALS community on 3rd Annual Lou Gehrig Day

July 6, 2023 Comments Off on San Francisco Giants honors, remembers, and celebrates our ALS community on 3rd Annual Lou Gehrig Day

The third annual Lou Gehrig Day was celebrated throughout Major League Baseball in June to honor the legacy of Gehrig and all those lost to the disease that bears his name, to raise ALS awareness and funding, and to celebrate the ALS community.  On Friday, June 2, 2023, the San Francisco Giants hosted their Lou…

He was diagnosed with ALS. Then they changed the face of medical advocacy

June 30, 2023 Comments Off on He was diagnosed with ALS. Then they changed the face of medical advocacy

On a recent crisp June night, as the Chicago Cubs prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates, fans dressed in blue pack Wrigley Stadium’s famous bleachers. Sitting in his wheelchair, 42-year-old Brian Wallach looks out over the park, rooting for a very particular outcome that has nothing to do with baseball. He has amyotrophic lateral…

Expanding Diversity in Clinical Trials

June 20, 2023 Comments Off on Expanding Diversity in Clinical Trials

Expanding access to clinical trials is crucial to making ALS livable for everyone, everywhere, until we find a cure. One way to help make that a reality is by making sure people from historically underrepresented communities are able to take part in clinical trials. The effects of drugs and treatments can vary depending on factors…