The ALS Association Calls on Advocates to 'Raise Your Voice' During ALS Awareness Month

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ALS Association is kicking off ALS Awareness Month by encouraging the public to "Raise Your Voice" in May on behalf of those living with ALS. This year's campaign highlights the ways that people can raise awareness and support for ALS, even if they can no longer speak.

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to walk, speak, and eventually, breathe. The disease is always fatal and there is no cure.

"This May, we're raising our voice to call for better public policies for people living with ALS and increased funding for ALS research," said Calaneet Balas, president and CEO of The ALS Association. "Your voice is more than your ability to speak. If we all make enough noise, we will be heard."

As part of ALS Awareness Month, The ALS Association will introduce a series of public service announcements to educate the public about daily life with ALS. The Association will also convene close to 600 people in Washington, D.C., at its annual Advocacy Conference, to educate lawmakers and advocate for smart public policy.

The ALS Association also recently launched Project Revoice, an initiative to clone the voices of people living with ALS who record their voices before ALS takes away their ability to speak. To bring awareness to the issue, the Association worked with Australian firm BWM Dentsu and Canadian company Lyrebird to recreate the voice of Pat Quinn, one of the founders of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, using recordings of his voice. You can view that video here.

About ALS
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population.

About The ALS Association
The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The ALS Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. For more information about The ALS Association, visit our website at www.alsa.org.

SOURCE The ALS Association

Related Links

http://www.alsa.org