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Article: Batting for the Cure.(My Turn)(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
- Article from:
- Newsweek
- Article date:
- November 10, 2008
- Author:
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Byline: Michael Goldsmith; Goldsmith lives in Heber City, Utah.
Diagnosed with a deadly but uncommon illness, I call upon the game of my youth to take action.
I received my death sentence in September 2006 when doctors told me I had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressively paralyzing neuromuscular disorder. There is no cure. Commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease after the Yankee Hall of Famer who died of it, ALS is so uncommon that medical researchers consider it an "orphan" illness--so few people have it that pharmaceutical companies lack financial incentive to invest in finding a cure.
The public also pays scant attention to ALS. ...