Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-ALS
(also known as Lou Gehrig's disease)
. . . is a devastating neurodegenerative disease, those living with the disease become progressively paralyzed due to degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Eighty per cent of people with ALS die within two to five years of diagnois - unable to breathe or swallow. Along with ALS, neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. According to the World Health Organization, neurodegenerative diseases are predicted to surpass cancer as the second leading cause of death in Canada by 2040.
ALS has no known cure or effective treatment. For every person diagnosed with ALS a person with ALS dies. Approximately 2,500 - 3,000 Canadians currently live with ALS.