November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize and honor the tremendous contributions of family caregivers. Throughout the month we have been sharing stories of caregivers in the ALS community. Caregiving is a full-time job, and many caregivers also maintain full time jobs while dealing with the financial and emotional stress that comes with being a caregiver.
Jen LeVasseur’s caregiver journey began while she was still a newlywed. Her husband, Noel, was diagnosed with ALS just 17 months after their wedding. Noel has two daughters from a previous marriage, Jen two sons. (They embrace the Brady Bunch, blended family analogy.) We sat down with Jen earlier this year to talk about caregiving and how ALS impacts the holidays.
Lynn Hogan became a caregiver early in her relationship her fiancé, Steve Ziegler. “On our first date we went out and he was sitting next to me and he said, ‘You might notice -- don't get weirded out or anything -- but you might notice some twitching, weird stuff going on with my arms. We don't know what it is yet. But one of the things it could be is ALS,’” she recalled.
The ALS Association submitted a report to the FDA documenting the real impact ALS has on people living with the disease and their caregivers in order to inform the development of treatments. The information in the report draws from a survey of people living with ALS.
The Greater New York Chapter of The ALS Association has commemorated a pivotal caregiver from ALS history with a luncheon named in honor of Eleanor Gehrig, the wife of famed baseball hero Lou Gehrig.
Anthony Vick spent 16 years serving his country in the Army and Air Force Reserves, including 10 years in the civil service. Vick says he was lucky to be able to serve his country, service that came to an end in 2017 when he was diagnosed with ALS.
Maya Bulmer was thrust into the role of caregiver at a young age. Like many seniors in high school, Maya spent the 2018-2019 school year filling out college applications, readying for the next chapter in her life.
The ALS Association and its partners submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration to further inform the agency’s implementation of the final guidance on the development of drugs and treatments for ALS. The comments underscore the need for urgency and commend the FDA for including voices from our community in its rulemaking process. Click here to view the comments.
A bill championed by The ALS Association was introduced in Congress today that would remove noninvasive ventilators from Medicare’s competitive bidding program. Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fl.), John Larson (D-Ct.), and Darren Soto (D-Fl.) have introduced H.R.4945, the Safeguarding Medicare Access to Respiratory Therapy (SMART) Act of 2019.
November is National Family Caregivers Month. Join The ALS Association in honoring caregivers throughout the month. “Being a caregiver of someone with ALS is incredibly challenging, and my role hasn't even begun to be that physical yet,” said Jen LeVasseur. Her husband, Noel, was diagnosed with ALS in 2017, just over a year after they were married.