About ALS & Donations

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure for ALS yet.

As motor neurons degenerate and die, they stop sending messages to the muscles, which causes the muscles to weaken, start to twitch (fasciculations), and waste away (atrophy). Eventually, in people with ALS, the brain loses its ability to initiate and control voluntary movements such as walking, talking, chewing, and other functions, as well as breathing. ALS is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time. ALS does not affect a person's sensory functions or mental faculties. Other nonmotor neurons, such as sensory neurons that bring information from sense organs to the brain remain healthy. Most people with ALS die from being unable to breathe on their own (known as respiratory failure,) usually within three to five years from when the symptoms first appear.

There is no known cure nor any treatment that can reverse the damage caused by ALS or adequately slow the progression of the disease.

If you would like to donate to ALS research and to help with the care and support of the 30,000 Americans living with ALS, contributions can be made to the ALS Association: