We need to support our veterans, not only to thank them for their service to our country, but also because of this disturbing and little known statistic. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, strikes veterans at twice the rate as the general public. It has no treatment, no cure; only death in 2 to 5 years. And it doesn’t matter if vets served in World War II, Iraq or never even left the United States. They are at greater risk of ALS.
My brother is a veteran (and Roanoke resident). He served in the U.S. Navy from 1966-1970. In July of 2006 he was diagnosed with ALS. He has gone from a healthy marathon runner to someone who is bedridden and breathing with a ventilator. His brain remains unaffected and somehow he keeps a positive attitude even though he knows that he is slowly dying.
Why? Is it physical activity, exposure to chemicals? Is it head trauma, which recent headlines also suggest is the reason why more and more NFL players seem to be developing ALS? The cause is still unknown. However, the government is doing something about it.
Just a few weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control launched a national registry of ALS patients, www.cdc.gov/ALS. The registry is the first comprehensive, nationwide effort to identify not only who gets ALS, but why. Hopefully the registry will help us learn why our veterans are developing ALS. It may tell us why NFL players are developing the disease and why your neighbor has ALS. And it will help us find a treatment.
Please help spread the word about the ALS registry because not only our veterans but thousands of other Americans are fighting a war against ALS. The ALS Registry is there to help them fight back.
– Brenda Burnham, SC