Speaking up for hope during ALS Awareness Month

May is just a few days away, and we wanted to get a jump-start on spreading the word for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month. As many out there might know, PatientsLikeMe was founded on the life experiences of brothers Stephen, Ben and Jamie Heywood. In 1998, Stephen was diagnosed with ALS and his brothers went to work trying to find new ways to slow his progression. But their trial and error approach just wasn’t working, and so they set out to find a better way. And that’s how in 2004, PatientsLikeMe was created. If you don’t know the story, you can watch the feature documentary of the family’s journey, called “So Much So Fast.”

ALS is considered a rare condition, but it’s actually more common than you might think – in the United States, 5,600 people are diagnosed with ALS each year, and as many as 30,000 are living with the condition at any given time.¹ ALS affects people of every race, gender and background, and there is no current cure.

Even before PatientsLikeMe, Jamie started the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), an independent research center that focuses on developing effective therapeutics that slow and stop ALS. Now, it’s the largest non-profit biotech solely focused on finding an effective therapy for ALS. And on May 3^rd, “The Cure is Coming!” road race and awareness walk will be held in Lexington Center, MA, to help raise funds for ALS TDI. There’ll be a picnic lunch, cash prizes for the road race winners and live music. Last year, over $110,000 was raised for ALS TDI – if you’re in the neighborhood, join the race today.

Also, the ALS Association (ALSA) sponsors several events during May, and this year, you can:

Tell your story with ALS on the ALSA website
Read and share other stories of ALS patients like you
Find a Walk to Defeat ALS near you (these are happening all year round, not only in May)
Sign up to become an ALS Association Advocate

Back in January, we shared a special ALS infographic on the blog – the PatientsLikeMe ALS community was the platform’s first community, and now, it’s more than 6,000 members strong. If you’ve been diagnosed with ALS, there’s a warm and welcoming community on PatientsLikeMe waiting for you to join in. Ask questions, get support and compare symptoms with others who get what you’re going through.

Keep an eye out for more ALS awareness posts on the blog in May, including an interview with one of our ALS members.

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