The Ice Bucket Challenge went viral, raising $115 million for ALS a decade ago. Now we see how research and new drugs are paying off.It's been nearly a decade since the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral, raising $115 million for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.Todd Kelly got his diagnosis 10 years ago at age 49, after his wife Laurie noticed something on a visit to the Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Early symptoms are very individual but include, muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder, or tongue; muscle cramps; slurred and nasal speech; and difficulty chewing or swallowing. She says her job is to make ALS a livable disease, through both research and improvements in treatment.New research shows genetics factor in far more cases than previously thought.
"You don't just see the physician, you see the mental health specialist, a case management person, you see physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language pathologist," Dr. Heiman-Patterson notes."We'll call them, we'll text. We'll email, if we have a question, if we have a problem," she says.