I noted in last week’s article that awareness days, weeks and months are helpful as they heighten awareness around a specific cause, start conversations and have spurred charity events and information campaigns.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

In reality, the majority of people diagnosed with ALS have no family history of the disease.

Myth #2: Only older people are affected by ALS.

This “young onset” ALS typically refers to people younger than 45 years old and accounts for about 10 percent of all cases.