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My story- ALS
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- 2. What does itmean? • Amyotrophic • Lateral • Sclerosis • Let’s break that down… • “A” means no or negative • “myo” refers to the muscles • “trophic” mean nourishment • No Muscle nourishment • “Lateral” refers to the area in the spine where the brain cells tell the muscles what to do • “Sclerosis” is hardening.. Once the disease starts to progress, the lateral areas harden and the signals from the brain to the muscles eventually seize to continue
- 3. What is affected? •In order for our muscles to function properly, motor neurons move from the brain to the spinal chord and from the spinal chord to the muscles…ALS is responsible for the destruction of these neurons. • When these motor neurons are destroyed, the muscles throughout the body do not receive the signals they need in order to complete daily functions such as speaking, eating, moving, and even breathing. • Eventually, the disease progresses further and people lose the ability to function entirely.
- 4. Facts and Statistics:Robert Packard • Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 75, with the majority after age 60, although it can occur at a younger age. • The disease is relatively rare; the incidence is roughly 2 people per 100,000 per year. • Most surveys hold that ALS is more common in men than women, though that gap may be closing. • The incidence of ALS is five times higher than Huntington’s disease and about half that of multiple sclerosis. • While there’s no cure, riluzole therapy improves ALS survival for typical patients by a short period of time, around four to six months. • ALS occurs throughout the world with no obvious racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries.
- 5. Two types; Sporadicand Familial • Sporadic: the MOST common for of ALS (90-95% of all cases). Tjis type can effect anyone, anywhere. • Familial: The disease is inherited. In these families, there is a 50% chance that each child will inherit the gene mutation.
- 6. My Story In thespring of 2009, my loving, caring, selfless, and flawless Nana was diagnosed with ALS as a result of a tick bite that went untreated. Her diagnosis and progressive disease became the worst 2 years I have experienced, and left me without the most important person in my life.
- 7. My College Essay •I dedicated my college essay to the experience I underwent with my grandmother. The experience changed my life, and shaped me into the person I am today…Below is a recording of me reading it out loud. • It was important for me to be able to capture how important she was and how difficult her illness was, but I had to keep my essay to a minimum, which was a huge challenge.
- 8. • The twoyears spent feeding my Nana and brushing her hair and helping to complete everyday tasks that became impossible to accomplish on her own brought her and I even closer than we were before, which we didn’t even know was possible. • The reason I am studying Nursing in college and planning to persue a career in the field is because of her. I saw first hand the nurses caring for her and the hospice workers making sure she was comfortable all the time. • My dream is to be in a research lab actively finding a cure for this awful disease, because a 100% mortality rate is just horrifying.
- 9. Fun Fact: Iam the only one in my family with blonde hair and I get that 100% from her! ( her hair isn’t so blonde anymore in the picture) My first (and only) tattoo I got in honor of her.. She told me when she left she would watch over me and I would know she was there whenever I saw a cardinal.. They are always outside my bedroom window
- 10. Works Cited • http://www.alscenter.org/living_with_als/facts_statistics.html •http://www.alsa.org/about-als/