The month of May is recognized as ASL Awareness Month. Throughout this month many communities come together to spread awareness and a true understanding of this disease. 

ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive disease that affects cells in both the spinal cord and the brain. This disease over time makes you lose function in almost everything you do on a daily basis such as talking, swallowing, and even breathing. Most people with ALS are diagnosed between the ages forty through seventy. However in rare cases children have been diagnosed with it being called “juvenile ALS”. 

The longest person who lived with ALS was Stephen Hawking. Born in 1942, Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist. He was diagnosed at the early age of twenty-one. He expressed how during his time at Cambridge, he found himself falling and becoming clumsy which he thought nothing of; as symptoms increased, he was diagnosed with ALS. This disease did not stop him at all; he continued his life and is now remembered as a brilliant and incredibly strong scientist. He lived fifty-five years with this disease and is currently the only known person who has lived this long with the diagnosis.  

At the moment there is no cure for this disease. Many people across the globe are trying to raise awareness for this to get the recognition it needs.  Back in the year 2014 many people participated in what was called the “Ice Bucket Challenge”. The global challenge was done all over the world! During this time three young men living with this diagnosis encouraged people all  around the world to dump a bucket of cold ice water on their head and to donate to the ALS organization. Over 120 million people participated in this challenge and the foundation raised over $118 million dollars. After this challenge many people started to research this nervous system disease and pushed for a cure. In 2024 we are closer than ever in finding a cure to ALS, and I’m excited to see many people be cured in the future.