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In 2012, Betty began having falls that neither she nor her family thought were anything more than a couple of random trips. Except they kept happening, and more frequently. Eventually Betty saw doctors, physical therapists, orthopedics, then surgeons who performed a knew replacement, more PT and so on. For two years this went on until finally, in 2014, Betty was referred to a “Neuromuscular Multidisciplinary Clinic” (remember that term) where she received the diagnosis of ALS.
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The financial burden associated with ALS care is staggering. Medical expenses of $100,000 per year and more are not uncommon as ALS progresses.(1) This has all been researched and verified. This is not sensationalism. This is ALS.
Your donation will allow us to support these pALS and their caregivers, raise ALS awareness in order to accelerate the diagnostic process and support crucial ALS research. And we’ll share how every dollar is used.
(1) The European Journal of Health Economics 2021;22:1151–1166
Learn About ALS
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.”Amyotrophic” comes from the Greek language. “A” means no. “Myo” refers to muscle. “Trophic” means nourishment. So , amyotrophic means “no muscle nourishment,” and when a muscle has no nourishment, it “atrophies” or wastes away. “Lateral” identifies the areas in a person’s spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located.
As this area degenerates, it leads to scarring or hardening (“sclerosis”) in the region.
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