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On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig said these famous words at Yankee Stadium, “For the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break that I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” The bad break he was referring to was the diagnosis of a condition that would become synonymous with him - a neuromuscular condition called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. ALS is a disease which causes motor nerves in the brain and spinal cord to break down. This reduces the nerves ability to control muscle function leading the muscle to weaken, twitch and waste away. As the disease progresses, it slowly impairs the person’s ability to walk, talk, swallow and breathe. 

Lou Gehrig was only 36 years old when he was diagnosed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. However, it is more commonly diagnosed between the ages of 55 and 75. He lived less than two years after his ALS diagnosis. Today, the average life expectancy after diagnosis is two to five years, but some people with this disease can live much longer. The famous physicist, Steven Hawking, lived for more than 50 years after he was diagnosed with ALS. 

The cause of ALS is still unknown. Almost all cases are considered sporadic, while only 5 to 10% are thought to be inherited. One study suggested smoking may increase a person’s risk for developing ALS. Military veterans also have an increased risk of developing ALS compared to civilians. Currently, there is no single test that can predict or diagnose ALS, it is based on symptoms and a multitude of tests. While there are treatments and medications that can slow the progression of the disease, there is no cure, but research is still ongoing. 

More than 80 years later, the final words of Lou Gehrig’s speech still serve as inspiration. “So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”  Major League Baseball holds “Lou Gehrig Day” every year on June 2. That day marks the anniversary of both when he became the starting first baseman for the New York Yankees and the day he passed away in 1941. On this day, MLB raises funds to help research ALS, to find better treatments and, hopefully, find a cure. Lou Gehrig’s optimism and tenacity in face of such a life-changing diagnosis make it no wonder most people know ALS as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. 

Jill Kruse, D.O. is part of The Prairie Doc® team of physicians and currently practices as a hospitalist in Brookings, South Dakota. Follow The Prairie Doc® at http://www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook and Instagram featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show providing health information based on science, built on trust, streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.