Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Motor Neuron Disease.

Blood tests, EMG, MRI, lumbar puncture all come back normal. Muscle twitching, muscle weakness.

Cause unknown. Death or quadriplegia usually in three to five years. There have only been forty-odd people who have verifiably recovered ever.

It can be hereditary or occur sporadically. Although more common in older people, it can also occur to young mothers, college students, and even children. It may begin with limb weakness, breathing difficulty, difficulty speaking, or difficulty swallowing. Weakness may develop over years or months. It may be accompanied by dementia. The best medicines slow disease progression by four months. Getting a trach, feeding tube, and eye gaze computer may extend life and quality of life, but comes with financial burden and caregiver fatigue.

This is the challenge that, throughout our lifetimes, each of us has a one in four hundred chance of getting.