ALS Awareness Month

May is ALS awareness month. ALS stands for amytrophic lateral sclerosis. Its also called Lou Gehrigs disease after the famous professional baseball player who was diagnosed with this terrible disease at the height of his career. There is such a need for research as currently there is no treatment and no cure. I've taken some excerpts from the TN Chapter of the ALS associations webpage.

Lou Gehrig first brought national and international attention to the disease in 1939 when he abruptly retired from baseball after being diagnosed with ALS. Most commonly, the disease strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually lead to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

With the price of gas through the roof and that affecting every other purchase in our lives these days, spending extra money on stamps is not something anyone wants to do. I would just encourage you- if you do have some extra money and feel led to check out the ALS awareness stamp You can place your order online.

The TN Chapter of the ALS association was phenomenal in their assistance to me and my family while we were caring for my mother. They are a wealth of resources and a first line of contact for those diagnosed with this devastating disease. Had it not been for them, we would not have been able to care for my mother in our home. If you would like further information please visit their website.

Finally, if you're reading this post I would just ask you to stop right now and pray. Pray for those people with ALS and their families and caregivers. Ask God to just cover them with His love and peace like only He can.