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Along with October, May is one of the most densely packed months of the year. It's before the summer humidity and the last whole month of the school year. The weather is warming in t...
The solstice on the 20th marks the onset of summer (Northern Hemisphere) or winter (Southern Hemisphere). Many people, particularly in Europe, North America and Asia, will be embarking o...
Spring has sprung in the north, and the first hints of Autumn are on the horizon in the south. April is the month spring (or fall) gets underway, and it is filled with religious celebrations, including the Mu...
ALS Awareness Month in the United States occurs each year in May. Its purpose is to bring awareness to the disease and help raise funds to find a cure.
ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is neurodegenerative. This fatal disease affects the nerve cells (motor neurons) that control a person’s muscles. As neurons deteriorate, the brain loses the ability to start and control voluntary muscle movement. It is why people with ALS often lose the ability to speak: the disease slowly paralyzes its victims, eventually taking away the ability to breathe.
ALS was first discovered in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. It would be another 70 years before most people heard of the disease. In 1939 Lou Gehrig ended his career due to it.
Lou Gehrig was a professional baseball player from 1923-1939. He died of ALS in 1941, just 17 days shy of his 39th birthday. Today, there is still no cure for the cruel disease that took his name — and life.