Aug 14, 2015
By Lenise Ligon, FOX10 News Anchor
Click for video:
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/29790677/one-year-living-with-als-im-staying-strong-in-the-fight
Andy Musselman was diagnosed with ALS, or what many people call Lou Gehrig's disease in 2011.
It was about a year ago when we last saw him. Musselman says some things have changed but his fight against ALS remains strong.
"I can still speak I can still walk I have gotten a lot weaker in my hands and arms...a year ago I could put my hands over my head now this is about all I can do."
It's gotten a lot harder to do the day-to-day chores. Before if he wanted a glass of orange juice, he could life the container. Now it takes two hands to life a glass of water.
"What you don't see with ALS is those muscles are atrophying and getting weaker and we might look OK but it's not the same."
What is ALS?
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.
Gradually the muscles stop working.
Gradual onset, painless, progressive muscle weakness is the most common initial symptom in ALS. Other early symptoms vary but can include tripping, dropping things, abnormal fatigue of the arms and/or legs, slurred speech, muscle cramps and twitches, and/or uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying.
The average person with ALS is given two-to-five years to live after diagnosis. ALS affects people differently. The disease hasn't progressed as fast in Andy he says because he was an avid cyclist. He also credits his regimen of daily supplements.
"I focus on keeping the electrolytes and my body high because those help the muscles contract you know like calcium magnesium, sodium, and potassium...so I'll try to keep those in my body at a high-level so that the muscles can still contract."
Ice Bucket Challenge increased awareness, hope
The success of the ice bucket challenges that swept the nation last year gave the Musselman's renewed hope. They teamed with the ALSTDI, a non profit biotech research lab, based in Cambridge, Mass.
"We are thrilled about it we went up to Boston just over a week ago and they took scan and blood samples from them and with that they're going to build his own stem cell line so that they can start doing research on it," said Lisa Musselman Andy's wife.
"What we can do with those stem cells lines today is you can turn the stem cells from your skin into neurons, which is the type of cells that die in ALS, and we can screen drugs against those neurons and try to find drugs that make their neurons less sick," said Dr. Steve Perrin, CEO ALSTDI.
It's exciting news that keeps Andy pedaling towards a cure.
"I keep trying to do as much of the normal things as I can instead of giving up because I think like anybody that's trying to become anything is the positive attitude that really helps carry you along," said Andy Musselman.
There's a fundraising site for The ALS Association Mobile Walk to Defeat ALS taking place on Saturday, October 24 at 11 a.m. at University of South Alabama - Intramural Fields. People are welcome to join the team "Muscles for Musselman" and do some fundraising of their own. Last year, over 50 walkers participated.
The Team Page site is http://webal.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/Alabama?team_id=339990&pg=team&fr_id=11072.
If you are a resident of Alabama, the Alabama Chapter supports people living with ALS and their loved ones in the entire state of Alabama through services and education. You can find more on their mission here: http://webal.alsa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AL_homepage.
All content © 2015, WALA; Mobile, AL. (A Meredith Corporation Station). All Rights Reserved.
By Lenise Ligon, FOX10 News Anchor
Click for video:
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/29790677/one-year-living-with-als-im-staying-strong-in-the-fight
Andy Musselman was diagnosed with ALS, or what many people call Lou Gehrig's disease in 2011.
It was about a year ago when we last saw him. Musselman says some things have changed but his fight against ALS remains strong.
"I can still speak I can still walk I have gotten a lot weaker in my hands and arms...a year ago I could put my hands over my head now this is about all I can do."
It's gotten a lot harder to do the day-to-day chores. Before if he wanted a glass of orange juice, he could life the container. Now it takes two hands to life a glass of water.
"What you don't see with ALS is those muscles are atrophying and getting weaker and we might look OK but it's not the same."
What is ALS?
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.
Gradually the muscles stop working.
Gradual onset, painless, progressive muscle weakness is the most common initial symptom in ALS. Other early symptoms vary but can include tripping, dropping things, abnormal fatigue of the arms and/or legs, slurred speech, muscle cramps and twitches, and/or uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying.
The average person with ALS is given two-to-five years to live after diagnosis. ALS affects people differently. The disease hasn't progressed as fast in Andy he says because he was an avid cyclist. He also credits his regimen of daily supplements.
"I focus on keeping the electrolytes and my body high because those help the muscles contract you know like calcium magnesium, sodium, and potassium...so I'll try to keep those in my body at a high-level so that the muscles can still contract."
Ice Bucket Challenge increased awareness, hope
The success of the ice bucket challenges that swept the nation last year gave the Musselman's renewed hope. They teamed with the ALSTDI, a non profit biotech research lab, based in Cambridge, Mass.
"We are thrilled about it we went up to Boston just over a week ago and they took scan and blood samples from them and with that they're going to build his own stem cell line so that they can start doing research on it," said Lisa Musselman Andy's wife.
"What we can do with those stem cells lines today is you can turn the stem cells from your skin into neurons, which is the type of cells that die in ALS, and we can screen drugs against those neurons and try to find drugs that make their neurons less sick," said Dr. Steve Perrin, CEO ALSTDI.
It's exciting news that keeps Andy pedaling towards a cure.
"I keep trying to do as much of the normal things as I can instead of giving up because I think like anybody that's trying to become anything is the positive attitude that really helps carry you along," said Andy Musselman.
There's a fundraising site for The ALS Association Mobile Walk to Defeat ALS taking place on Saturday, October 24 at 11 a.m. at University of South Alabama - Intramural Fields. People are welcome to join the team "Muscles for Musselman" and do some fundraising of their own. Last year, over 50 walkers participated.
The Team Page site is http://webal.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/Alabama?team_id=339990&pg=team&fr_id=11072.
If you are a resident of Alabama, the Alabama Chapter supports people living with ALS and their loved ones in the entire state of Alabama through services and education. You can find more on their mission here: http://webal.alsa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AL_homepage.
All content © 2015, WALA; Mobile, AL. (A Meredith Corporation Station). All Rights Reserved.