May 1st Marks the Start of ALS Awareness Month

May is #ALSAwarenessMonth!

Awareness is critical to our vision of creating a world without ALS. The more people know about ALS, the more they get involved, and the more they support ALS advocacy, research, and care services. This kind of support gets us closer to finding potential treatments for ALS, and eventually a cure.

Throughout ALS Awareness Month, The ALS Association Western Pennsylvania Chapter will focus our attention on the impact that COVID-19 has on the ALS community, and remind the public that the temporary confinement, social isolation, and fear of tomorrow that our nation is experiencing during this trying time, is the unfortunate daily reality for many of those who are living with ALS.

“All Americans keenly look forward to the end of this isolation. But those of us with ALS will not be freed with the rest of the nation. Ours is an existence of isolation with no liberation or cure in sight. ”

– Brett Schoenecker, person living with ALS

“For a person living with ALS, exposure to COVID-19 would be catastrophic. As a result, people with the disease and their caregivers have no choice but to take extreme precautions that disrupt their access to care and support,” said Executive Director, Ryan Reczek. “We have been quick to modify our services to ensure that people who are physically isolated know that they are not alone.”

But we need your help to spread the word and keep the momentum going! It’s dedicated people like you who make everything we do possible.

Here are a few ways you can take part in ALS Awareness Month:

Educate

Many people, even if they’ve heard of ALS, know very little about what the disease is or what it is like. Share the graphics below with others—through social media, email, or even posting on your own blog or website. Full Graphic Kit Available HERE

Remember, every time you share or post something about ALS awareness, use the hashtag #ALSInThisTogether. This will make it easier for people to find more information on the topic, and increase the visibility of ALS Awareness Month.

Share

Throughout May, we’ll be publishing blog posts, highlighting recent advances in research, sharing inspirational stories from people living with ALS, and providing tools for people to learn more about the disease and get involved. An easy way to take part in spreading the word is to simply share these posts on your social media accounts. You can stay notified of each new post, and easily share them, by Signing up to become an ALS Social Media Ambassador (#ALSAmbassador)!

In addition, you can stay up to date by following us on Facebook , Instagram, and Twitter.

Donate

The biggest thing you can do in the fight against ALS is to help raise funds for research and essential services for people who have the disease.

Throughout the month of May, the Chapter is turning to its fellow western Pennsylvanians for help to continue these essential services and asks those to consider kicking off ALS Awareness Month by making a donation.

Funds raised throughout ALS Awareness Month will directly support the over 300 people living with ALS that The ALS Association Western Pennsylvania Chapter serves at any given time.