Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ALS is not a curable disease, but it is a treatable one. Treatments are now available that can make a major difference in prolonging life and enhancing the quality of life for people with the disease, and there are treatments for many of the symptoms of ALS that can help ease its burden. Although the diagnosis of ALS can initially be devastating, the vast majority of people discover new courage from within to battle this disease and live life with vigor and enthusiasm. The information in this book will prove useful to people with ALS and their families both in managing the disease and living within its limitations. The cost of the book is $22.95 US Funds.

For more information contact Demos Medical Publishing,
386 Park Avenue South,
New York, NY 10016
Website: www.demosmedpub.com
Click here for page URL


Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

ALS is associated with the New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig who played in a record 2,130 consecutive games before the disease forced his premature retirement in 1939.

Jonathan Eig—the author of a new biography on Lou Gehrig—has been receiving praise for his work. Eig’s biography addresses different aspects of Gehrig’s life before he was struck by ALS, with his athleticism and career as a professional baseball player. Eig portrays Gehrig as a human being who, throughout his life, was admirable while not being perfect.

Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig includes letters that Gehrig had written to his doctor, Paul O’Leary. These letters are the only available record of Gehrig’s last days, and detail his aches, pains, and strong desire for a cure.

Luckiest Man follows Gehrig’s family relationships. Attention is also given to the friction between Gehrig and Babe Ruth.

In the last chapters of the biography, in which Gehrig is succumbing to ALS, the medical aspect of his life story is presented with compassion.

The biography—published in April 2005—is available for $37.50 in book or cassette form. The running time for the audio version is approximately six hours, and the biography can be purchased from www.simonandschuster.ca.


Tales from the Bed on Living, Dying, and Having It All
By Jenifer Estess

As told to Valerie Estess
Foreword by Katie Couric
Sisters in the entertainment world tell their story and that of their foundation - Project ALS
Click here for an excerpt


Tuesdays with Morrie
An Old Man, A Young Man, And Life's Greatest Lesson
by Mitch Albom

Morrie Schwartz was Mitch Albom's college professor and mentor. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch (an ALS patient) in his study every Tuesday. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final "class": lessons in how to live. This book has been on the best seller list over one year.

Click here for an excerpt


My Uncle has ALS
Neiderer , Theresa (2007)
Paperback

“My Uncle has ALS” provides children with a glimpse of what Amyotophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is and some challenges and adjustments it presents.

Video

The Man Who Learned to Fall
A feature documentary by Garry Beitel

Phil Simmons, associate professor of English at Lake Forest College in Illinois was diagnosed with ALS when he was 35. Simmons celebrates the wonder of life even as he is slowly dying of this disease. As his muscles deteriorate and his body becomes increasingly paralyzed, Simmons continues to 'wrestle joy from heartbreak' at each stage of his ongoing losses.

"At one time or another, each of us confronts an experience so powerful, bewildering, joyous, or terrifying, that all our efforts to see it as a problem are futile. Each of us is brought to the cliff's edge. At such moments we can either back away in bitterness or confusion, or leap forward into mystery," says Simmons, in his book "Learning to Fall," published by Bantam Dell.

Philip Simmons
From Learning to Fall – published by Bantam Dell
www.themanwholearnedtofall.com
Duration: 77 minutes
Price: Video $30, shipping and taxes are extra
DVD $40, shipping and taxes are extra

To order contact:
Beitel/Lazar Productions Inc.
2218 Old Orchard, Montreal, PQ H4A 3A8
Phone 514-487-4562
Fax: 514-487-9729
Beitel_Lazar@videotron.ca

Manual

Manual for People Living with ALS

The fourth edition of the Manual for People Living with ALS Manual is an excellent educational resource and tool. It helps readers to organize personal health information and stimulate discussion between patients, family members, and their health-care providers about managing ALS care and coping with an often rapidly progressive neurological condition. The Manual is a very valuable resource, especially for those recently diagnosed with ALS.

What is covered in the Manual?

• An overview of ALS, signs and symptoms, research status
• Tips and tools for persons with ALS and family caregivers
• Where to go for help and support (local support information can be obtained from provincial ALS Societies)
• Disease management information about who makes up the ALS health-care team, mobility and independence, swallowing and nutrition, speech and communication, breathing and lung function, oral care, end-of-life issues, and advance-care planning
• Assistive equipment and activities of daily living
• Legal and financial considerations
• Education and support resources

Functions of the On-LineManual:

• It is completely searchable using the binoculars on the top of your screen
• The table of contents is linked to their appropriate page
• Every page has a return to main menu page, which takes the back to the table of contents
• Every web site is active, by clicking on anything that is underlined in the document it will take you to that web site.

No fee is charged for a hard copy of the manual when ordered by people living with ALS, their caregivers, or their healthcare providers. To order, please contact your Provincial ALS Society. Libraries, schools, health-care facilities, other organizations, and interested healthcare professionals who are not currently involved in ALS care may obtain the Manual through the ALS Society of Canada for a charge of $20.00. Please call 1-800-267-4257.

Download the English Manual (Format: Adobe Acrobat; File size: 1.7 MB)

Research

ALS Research Updates