MDA ADDS TO LOU GEHRIG'S DISEASE PROGRAM
DURING ALS AWARENESS MONTH

TUCSON, Ariz., April 30, 2001 - The Muscular Dystrophy Association, the world leader in the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is adding several elements to its ALS program during May.

In observance of the 10th annual ALS Awareness Month, MDA is launching on May 1 a Web site devoted to the disorder (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) at www.als-mda.org. It's also expanding its programs of print public service announcements and educational seminars focused on ALS. MDA's ALS Division conducts the largest program of services and research for ALS of any voluntary health agency in the world.

ALS, one of more than 40 neuromuscular disorders in MDA's program, destroys motor neurons (nerve cells controlling muscles) in healthy adults and leads to complete paralysis. Survival is typically two to five years after diagnosis. In more than 90 percent of cases, the cause isn't understood. No cure exists.

"MDA has fought this devastating disease for some five decades, with Lou Gehrig's widow one of our early volunteer leaders," MDA Senior Vice President and Executive Director Robert Ross said. "Having invested more than $130 million in our ALS program to date, we're constantly seeking new ways to emphasize the urgency of defeating this disorder and helping those affected by it."

MDA's ALS program is more than three times greater than the combined programs of all other ALS agencies for which figures are available. Its program includes grants to researchers worldwide, and medical care at some 230 hospital-affiliated MDA clinics and 22 MDA/ALS research and clinical centers across the country.

MDA also assists people with ALS in buying and repairing wheelchairs, conducts support groups for those affected and members of their families, publishes The ALS Newsletter bimonthly, holds expert-led public seminars across the country, conducts chat rooms, and issues other published and videotaped materials, including a 94-page caregiver's guide.

In research, MDA was involved in developing Rilutek, the first prescription medication known to slow the destruction caused by ALS, and in discovering a genetic cause for some ALS cases. MDA-funded scientists are exploring drug therapies, stem cell research and several other avenues that may shed light on the cause of ALS and paths to treatment.

Ross said that MDA was instrumental in supporting the first national ALS Awareness Month, declared by the U.S. Senate in 1992.

MDA's ALS program goes back to the Association's beginnings in 1950. As MDA got off the ground, it drew the involvement of Eleanor Gehrig, widow of Lou Gehrig, the New York Yankees first baseman known as the Iron Horse for his stamina and hitting power. Lou Gehrig died on June 2, 1941, at age 38, as a result of ALS.

Eleanor Gehrig served as MDA's national campaign chairman during the 1950s and 1960s, helping to recruit celebrity volunteers and securing publicity from radio and television program sponsors.

"The Gehrig legacy is a powerful one for all of us at MDA," said Ross, who worked closely with Eleanor Gehrig. "The urgency she conveyed to me in those early days about the need to defeat ALS is something I feel palpably to this day."

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.