The disease affects people of all ages from children to the elderly. It is hard to believe it is possible a child, or someone in their 20's or 30's might waste away before our eyes because of ALS. It happens too often. The majority of people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. After diagnosis, the average life expectancy is between two to five years. But, who will be diagnosed? There is no way to know.

Most of the people who are diagnosed have family history with ALS, and there are no lifestyle factors you can change to avoid it. It strikes without warning and affects not just the one with the disease, but loved ones as well. There are several research studies – past and present – investigating possible risk factors that may be associated with ALS.  More work is needed to conclusively determine what genetic and/or environment factors factors contribute to developing ALS. It is known, however, that military veterans, particularly those deployed during the Gulf Wars, are approximately twice as likely to develop ALS.

Please take a moment to meet Todd Moreno and his aunt and caregiver, Danielle Dunphy.  They bravely volunteered to share how ALS affected their family in an effort to show that ALS knows no boundaries and can affect anyone at anytime, regardless of their age.

It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time. Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS.  Every 90 minutes, someone loses their battle with the disease.

We’re asking Californians to help us find the causes, treatments and a cure ALS. Please donate $25 or more on line 414- ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease Research Fund on your California Tax Return.