ALS and the Strength of Lou Gehrig

To commemorate the recent World Series victory of the Houston Astros, I thought that it would be appropriate to discuss a disease that had a monumental effect on not only baseball, but the world as a whole. In 1939  "The Iron Horse" Lou Gehrig, who was only 36 years old, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) a fatal neurodegenrerative disease and was given a dire prognosis of only a few years to live. Lou Gehrig was in the prime of his career and was arguably the greatest baseball player of all time with the most grand slams and the longest consecutive streak of games played (2,130), a record that stood until 1995 (broken by Cal Ripken Jr.). Gehrig was forced to retire and gave a heart-wrenching  farewell address in front of over 60,000 fans in Yankees Stadium. He would tragically die 2 years later at the age of 37. He also holds the honored distinction of the the first athlete OF ANY SPORT to have his number retired. The beloved Lou Gehrig gave a face to this debilitating disease, and through his bravery, class, and humility he was able to be an inspiration to anyone facing an obstacle or hardship in life.

ALS is a neurological disease that deteriorates the motor neurons of the brain. The symptoms initially begin with difficulty with writing, talking, and walking. Eventually, the sufferer loses control of all muscular functions including breathing. In fact, 90% ALS cases die from respiratory failure. The cause of ALS is unknown and there is no cure. The occurrence of ALS is extremely rare with only 20,000 new cases per year. 10% of ALS are inherited while the other 90% are sporadic, or of unknown origin. The average survival from onset to death is 2 to 4 years. Some can live longer if diagnosis and treatment begins early on. One of the famous individuals with the disease, Stephen Hawking, has lived with ALS since 1963. There are various methods of diagnosis including blood and urine tests, nerve conduction study, spinal tap, and muscle biopsy.


Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354027

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Gehrig

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis