ALS: Lou Gehrig's Disease
Video #1006
Lou Gehrig's Disease - also known as ALS disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) - is a disease without a cure. The hallmark of ALS is the loss of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord - those cells that tell our muscles to move or stay still. The loss eventually leads to the decline of muscle function and paralysis. People with ALS may lose their voice and any other means of communication, and yet they retain their intellect. Author and professor Steven Hawkings has ALS.
The disease is fatal, yet many who have it are affirmative and courageous as they face decline and disability, setting examples for anyone faced with similar circumstances. The program introduces three people with ALS and includes a family care provider who talks about the challenges one faces in that role.
Although there is no cure for ALS, researchers are hopeful, and eventually their work may help in revealing the mysteries of other neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Medical experts include Lucie I. Bruijn, PhD, science director of the ALS Association, and Jeffery Cohen, MD, a neurologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
Production date: 2003
27 minutes 41 seconds
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