JRunners – Race for a Cause

JRunners Blog

About

The JRunners Relay of 2010 is the brainchild of a group of Jewish runners determined to demonstrate their support for a friend diagnosed with ALS, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Touched by his situation, they’ve created this relay race as a means of raising money for his family during their time of need. JRunners and this summer’s 200K Relay Race is an inspiring show of support and honor to those who are fighting the REAL fight, and their goal is that you and everyone you know join them in this charitable race event.

What is Lou Gehrig’s Disease?

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

Symptoms

Symptoms usually do not develop until after age 50 but in some cases they develop earlier. Persons with ALS have a loss of muscle strength and coordination that eventually gets worse. This makes one unable to do routine tasks such as going up steps, getting out of a chair, or swallowing. It causes muscle weakening, twitching, and an inability to move the arms, legs, and body. The condition slowly gets worse. When the muscles in the chest area stop working, it becomes hard or impossible to breathe on one’s own. However, ALS does not affect the senses (sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch), bladder or bowel function, or a person’s ability to think or reason.

Treatment

There is no known cure for ALS. The first drug treatment for the disease is a medicine called riluzole. Riluzole may prolong life, but does not reverse or stop the disease from getting worse. The goal of treatment is to control symptoms. There are other medications that may be used to control spasticity that interferes with activities of daily living. Physical therapy, rehabilitation, use of braces or a wheelchair, or other orthopedic measures may be needed to maximize muscle function and general health.

Causes

In about 10% of cases, ALS is caused by a genetic defect. In other cases, the cause is unknown. In ALS, nerve cells (neurons) waste away or die, and can no longer send messages to muscles. ALS affects approximately 1 out of every 100,000 people. Except for having a family member who has a hereditary form of the disease, there are no known risk factors.