What Is Als? – Learning From Tim Lafollette

By Author: Cynthia Bennett
Total Articles: 5
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Learning what is ALS and supporting causes that contribute toward increasing the chances of survival of ALS patients and improving their quality of life is something that might be of interest, especially to people who know of people who might be suffering from the debilitating disease. Stories of sheer inspiration can be shared by some of these patients living life with ALS and finding time to share themselves despite the fact that their own longevity is compromised by their disease. Tim Lafollette and his Often Awesome Army are examples of these inspirational stories of faith and hope. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as the Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a disease that results in muscular degeneration due to the destruction of nerve cells in the brain that are responsible for controlling how the muscles work. As the disease progresses, it renders the patient unable to perform even normal everyday tasks – at full progression, patients are rendered immobile and unable even to care for their own personal needs.

Tim Lafollette is one of the almost half a million ALS patients all over the world who have ...
... been given only a number of years to live given their disease. Despite this, he and his family and friends are still able to face his predicament with humor and candor enough to share his crusade against ALS and towards finding a cure for the disease. Tim Lafollette belongs to the minority of ALS patients whose diseases are caused by hereditary factors. His mother and grandmother both passed away due to ALS, both surviving barely a year after diagnosis of the disease. Although his doctors’ diagnosis has put him at the same survival rate of one year, Lafollette has successfully hurdled this life expectancy and continues to fight his disease after losing much of his muscle control as well as his ability to breathe on his own. It is with much hope and optimism that Tim and his friends look towards the future as they continuously grow their membership, generate funds, and launch awareness campaigns among others with the goal of helping Tim Lafollette and others like him survive ALS.

There are various information sources online to help you learn about what ALS is along with groups like the Often Awesome Army that have taken it upon themselves to organize and promote projects to spread ALS awareness. Those who are looking for causes to support might find some inspiration in how Tim Lafollette and his family and friends have been handling his ALS. Part of the group’s information drive involves a web series that documents Lafollette’s battle with ALS and gives other people a real-life glimpse of what ALS is and its implications. There is an episode that recaps Lafollette’s first year of life with ALS and shows how he was diagnosed with the disease and how he and his family members have been able to survive his disease. For more information visit us www.army.oftenawesome.org