In this post, I celebrate advancements in ALS research and clinical trials and encourage everyone to Accelerate the Cure by making a donation to the ALS Association in memory of the great Hall of Fame Yankee first-baseman Lou Gehrig.
I am writing today to ask everyone to join me in observing Major League Baseball’s Lou Gehrig Day by participating in the ALS Association’s Accelerate the Cure effort. This special day is recognized annually on June 2nd to commemorate the date in 1925 when Gehrig became the starting first-baseman for the New York Yankees and began his then-record 2,130 consecutive games played streak.
Ironically, it was on June 2, 1941 that Gehrig passed away from complications of ALS.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. When these cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement dies with them, and while patients in later stages of ALS are totally paralyzed, in most cases their minds remain sharp and alert.
ALS is not contagious and the average life expectancy of someone with ALS is two to five years from the time of diagnosis. About 20 percent of people with ALS, though, will live five years, 10 percent will survive 10 years, and five percent will live 20 years or more. Important work is being done daily to increase life expectancy, improve care plans, develop new treatments, and one day to hopefully cure ALS.
Teams throughout the major leagues recognize Lou Gehrig Day in various ways including charity and outreach programs, special “4-ALS” commemorative bases and gear, and players, managers, coaches, and umpires wearing a special number “4” patch on their uniforms. Lou Gehrig wore number 4 during his playing career; a number that has been retired by the Yankees in his honor.
Major League Baseball, its teams, managers, coaches, and players have long taken the lead in supporting research and care for those affected by ALS. This year marks the sixth annual observance of Lou Gehrig Day. And the good news today is that our investment in faster drug development, more clinical trials, and increased research is paying dividends.
Here is proof from the ALS Association that everyone’s donations are working: “Initial clinical trials are just emerging for QRL-201, an investigational treatment built on the same technology that produced Qalsody – the first treatment ever shown to stabilize disease for a rare genetic form affecting just two percent of people with ALS. Funded in part through grants from the ALS Association, QRL-201 is bringing this targeted approach to sporadic ALS – the form that strikes 98 percent of people with ALS. The ones who’ve had nothing. Early results show this approach might be working. This is what research does. This is what you’re funding.”
It took just a few minutes for me to make my donation online at https://www.als.org/awareness?form=FUNVHRLYVGD&utm_source=52626.
Please join me in this endeavor. Being a donor is the easiest home run you will ever hit. I made my gift in memory of Lou Gehrig and my brother, Carl Jolley, whose lives were both claimed by ALS. Let’s join together to remember the legacy of all those lost to Lou Gehrig’s disease, raise awareness and funds for ALS research, and celebrate the groups and individuals who have led the pursuit for cures.
Every donation no matter how large or small makes a big difference. Thank you.
REMEMBER
◊ Lou Gehrig is among baseball’s all-time greatest players. He was a two-time Most Valuable Player, seven-time All-Star, seven-time World Series Champion, a league batting champion, and a Triple Crown winner. He had an incredible lifetime batting average of .340 with 2,721 hits, 493 home runs, 1,888 runs scored, and 1,995 RBIs. Check out his Baseball Reference player page at https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gehrilo01.shtml.
◊ Gehrig was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame by a Special Election in 1939. Players typically are not eligible for the HOF until they have been retired from the game for five years. Given Gehrig’s dire medical condition, the waiting period was waived.
◊ The Yankees honored Gehrig on July 4, 1939 with a special Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium. It was then and there that Gehrig made his memorable speech to the fans, saying, “For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break (his ALS diagnosis). Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”1
◊ Gehrig ended his remarks by saying, “So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.”2 The New York Times described Gehrig’s speech “as amazing a valedictory as ever came from a ball player.”3
◊ Visit www.davidajolley.com for additional blog posts, other interesting content, and updates on future book releases and appearances.
David A. Jolley - Homepage 
Leave a comment