Never Give Up ALS By Anna W. Period 5 ALS By Anna W. Period 5 Lou Gehrig

ALS  Form of a Motor Neuron Disease  Effects and kills Motor Neurons, nerve cells in the central nervous system  Ruins voluntary muscle movement  IS fatal  Form of a Motor Neuron Disease  Effects and kills Motor Neurons, nerve cells in the central nervous system  Ruins voluntary muscle movement  IS fatal

Diagram  Normal neuron and Muscle  Healthy neuron  ALS affected muscle  Dying cell body  Thin decaying myelin  Wasted muscle  Normal neuron and Muscle  Healthy neuron  ALS affected muscle  Dying cell body  Thin decaying myelin  Wasted muscle

SYMPTOMS  Early Symptoms  Weak muscles  Slurred speech  Later Symptoms  Unable to stand or walk  Cannot preform manual tasks  Loss of speech and swalloing  Early Symptoms  Weak muscles  Slurred speech  Later Symptoms  Unable to stand or walk  Cannot preform manual tasks  Loss of speech and swalloing

Who gets it  ALS is not contagious  About 30,000 people have ALS in the US  Few thousand diagnosis in the Bay Area  FALS (familial ALS) is genetic  10% of adult ALS onsets is hereditary  Ages mostly get ALS  Occationally aged 20  ALS is not contagious  About 30,000 people have ALS in the US  Few thousand diagnosis in the Bay Area  FALS (familial ALS) is genetic  10% of adult ALS onsets is hereditary  Ages mostly get ALS  Occationally aged 20

K  My grandmother who was diagnosed with ALS  She has to be helped with everything  Has lost her speech  Uses voice apps on her iphone  My grandmother who was diagnosed with ALS  She has to be helped with everything  Has lost her speech  Uses voice apps on her iphone

My Inspiration  KK inspired me to do my HDP on ALS  Whenever I think of her it reminds me, things in my life could be worse, and to never give up.  Learning about ALS brought me a lot closer to my grandmother, who won’t be around for much longer because usually ALS kills you in 5-7 years, KK is in her forth year.  KK inspired me to do my HDP on ALS  Whenever I think of her it reminds me, things in my life could be worse, and to never give up.  Learning about ALS brought me a lot closer to my grandmother, who won’t be around for much longer because usually ALS kills you in 5-7 years, KK is in her forth year.

No One Knows  Not much at all is known about ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease at the moment.  Not the cause...  Or the cure.  But more is being discovered everyday, so someday there will be a cure.  I want to help scientists find it,  Not much at all is known about ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease at the moment.  Not the cause...  Or the cure.  But more is being discovered everyday, so someday there will be a cure.  I want to help scientists find it, And I’ll never give up. (Never Give Up is the ALS Association’s slogan)