ALS - Amnyotrophic Lateral Schlerosis

ALS is actually Amnyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, but it is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It comes from greek words meaning: A-without; Myo-muscle; Trophic-nourishment; Lateral-side (of the spinal cord); and Sclerosis-hardening or scarring. This disease is a rare ailment where the body’s neurons die, causing the muscles in your body to waste away and become paralyzed. ALS is not contagious, however at least 10% of ALS cases are hereditary. 30,000 Americans face the grim prospect of spending their final days feeling virtually buried alive as they go through the terrible effects of ALS. This disease was named after a Yankee slugger who died at age 36 in 1941 from this disease. Lou Gehrig was a famous baseball player in the US during the 1930’s. He became afflicted with ALS at age 36, just 2 years after being diagnosed. Tony Cortinas is an ALS patient. He was diagnosed with ALS in 1997 and since then has lost the use of his arms and hands and, at 54, is showing s...