Nation Nov 01 Former NYC deputy mayor raises millions for ALS research while facing his own mortality By Judy Woodruff, Ryan Connelly Holmes
Health Dec 30 Watch 5:35 Former Obama staffer fights to raise ALS awareness after devastating diagnosis When a former Obama campaign staffer was diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease ALS, he was given six months to live. But five years later, with his wife's help, Brian Wallach is still fighting the disease and raising awareness in… By Brandis Friedman, WTTW
Health Sep 07 FDA panel backs much-debated ALS drug in rare turnaround A panel of federal health advisers voted Wednesday to recommend approval for an experimental drug to treat Lou Gehrig’s disease, a remarkable turnaround for the much-debated medication that was previously rejected by the same group. By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press
Health Mar 30 FDA panel narrowly rejects experimental ALS drug Wednesday's vote by the Food and Drug Administration expert panel is a potential setback for patient groups who have lobbied for the medication's approval for ALS for more than a year. By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press
Nation Jan 15 Ex-NFL player Steve Gleason honored by Congress for ALS work Former NFL player Steve Gleason has received the Congressional Gold Medal — the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress — for his work as an advocate for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. By Associated Press
Apr 25 Scientists get one step closer to decoding thoughts into speech By Karen Weintraub, Scientific American Using electrodes and computer algorithms, researchers have generated intelligible sentences from the thoughts of people without speech difficulties, sparking hope that similar technology could eventually provide a voice to people who can't speak. Continue reading
Nov 27 ‘SpongeBob’ creator Stephen Hillenburg dies of ALS at 57 By Andrew Dalton, Associated Press Hillenburg conceived, wrote, produced and directed the animated series Spongebob SquarePants that began in 1999 and bloomed into hundreds of episodes, movies and a Broadway show. Continue reading
Jul 07 An architect with ALS designs a home controlled by blinks By Leah Samuel, STAT Steve Saling helped design features of the Leonard Florence Center's Dapper McDonald ALS Residence, intended to preserve the independence of those with ALS, where he is a resident. Continue reading
Jun 17 Did Lou Gehrig actually die of ‘Lou Gehrig’s disease’? By Dr. Howard Markel Lou began experiencing his first neurological symptoms in 1938, right around the time of his 35th birthday. But was ALS the cause of Lou Gehrig’s death? Maybe not, say a group of neurologists, physicians and pathologists. Continue reading
May 21 As they lay dying: Medicare rules rob voiceless ALS patients of the ability to communicate By Philip Moeller In early 2014, Medicare changed some of its rules and effectively took away the ability of many people with ALS to communicate. Despite upcoming changes, the current limitations are still being felt by patients and their families. Continue reading