For those of you who are not familiar with ALS, or how it effects people, ALS (or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. About 5 to 10 percent of all ALS cases are familial, which means that an individual inherits the disease from a parent. The familial form of ALS usually only requires one parent to carry the disease-causing gene. Mutations in more than a dozen genes have been found to cause familial ALS. In this disease, nerve cells break down, which reduces functionality in the muscles they supply. The cause is unknown. The main symptom is muscle weakness. Medication and therapy can slow ALS and reduce discomfort, but there's no cure. With these donations you can make a huge difference in the lives of people living with ALS, and you can bring us that much closer to discovering new treatments and a cure for ALS.

ALS has affected many families not only around the world, but also affected some of our colleagues within ACS. Brian Rodriguez lost his father when he was 16, Gary Hopkins lost in brother-in-law earlier this year, and Ana Benavente’s best friend is currently going through it.