ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the baseball player who was diagnosed with it. The exact cause of the disease is still not known. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects motor neurons, the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles.

ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, trouble swallowing or slurred speech. ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe.