ALS Awareness Month aims is to raise awareness about ALS, gather support for those affected by this condition and to encourage funding and research for a treatment or cure. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. ALS attacks cells in the brain and spinal cord that are needed to keep muscles moving, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis.

ALS Awareness Month is a time to learn more about ALS. ALS was first recognized as a disease in 1869, by Jean-Martin Charcot, a French neurologist. ALS is sometimes referred as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after Lou Gehrig, a beloved first basemen whose career was stopped in 1939 when he developed ALS at the age of 36. At that time, ALS was given widespread public attention due to the high profile of Lou Gehrig.