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.
A global, centralized, cloud-based repository of ALS genetic data is being assembled with funding from The ALS Association. This is the first such repository of its kind. Much of the research aimed at finding a cure for ALS is in the area of genetics. Such work requires genomic sequencing, a process whereby individuals' genes are mapped in a way that can be compared to the genes of others who do not have ALS in an effort to identify variations that may be factors in the development or progression of the disease.
When the Biology Honors class kicked off a special course to learn more about neurological diseases, they turned it into a unified effort to educate their community and raise over $3,000 for ALS research. The ALS Association spoke to some of the folks behind the project.
Last week Congress passed, and the president signed, a continuing resolution that will fund all federal programs at current levels through November 21. Before the continuing resolution expires, Congress must either pass full appropriations bills for the 2020 fiscal year or pass another continuing resolution.