ALS was first found in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, but it wasn’t until 1939 that Lou Gehrig brought national and international attention to the disease. Ending the career of one of the most beloved baseball players of all time, the disease is still most closely associated with his name. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (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. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.
Freedman Seating has been an advocate and parter with the Les Turner ALS Foundation for many years, raising tens of thousands of dollars for the cause.
About the Les Turner ALS Foundation
Since 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation has been a leader in research, patient care and education about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and other motor neuron diseases (MND). The Foundation serves more than 90% of the ALS population in the Chicago area. The Foundation is also one of the nation’s largest independent ALS organizations and has raised over $52 million to fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Through its wide-ranging research and symposiums for healthcare professionals, the Foundation reaches the ALS community worldwide. The Foundation is affiliated with Northwestern Medicine and is a founding member of the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations.
Help and hope for people with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Learn more and donate at http://www.lesturnerals.org/.
On August 19th, 2014 the Freedman Seating Company took the Ice Bucket Challenge to continue to raise awareness and funding for ALS research. Exectutive Vice President, Dan Cohen challenged three vendors to do the same: USSC Group, Q’Straint, and Amaya.