How We Cure ALS

In September, I shared The ALS Association’s overall strategy to end ALS along with my optimistic view of the current state of ALS research. Now, I would like to shine the light further on the importance of The ALS Association Research Program and how you ultimately hold the key to a cure for ALS.

ALS is a complex disease, demanding a research program broad enough to investigate every possible cause and nimble enough to quickly pursue promising new areas of study. A cure for ALS depends on a coordinated and collaborative strategy, led by an organization that knows where the gaps in understanding are, and one that is committed to filling them. A cure depends on an organization that sees the big picture and recognizes that the only way to defeat ALS is by working as a team.

When you visit the research section of The ALS Association’s website, you will see in big bold letters, “The World is our Lab.” We chose this slogan because of our global, diversified and collaborative approach to ALS research. Our current portfolio contains more than 120 research projects in nine countries, including a new project led by Dr. Michael Bereman at NC State University. Not only is Dr. Bereman battling ALS in his lab, he has been in a personal battle with the disease since his diagnosis in 2015.

The ALS Association is driven only by its vision, which is to create a world without ALS. This is our end game. We are not concerned about who gets the credit; we only care about the results. We’ve committed more than $84 million dollars to ALS research since the 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. We work with public and private partners to achieve uncompromising results. Did you know that we fund nonprofit organizations like Answer ALS, ALS TDI and ALS ONE, along with many other private labs and scientists? We underwrite ALS Untangled, because answers are not always found using traditional methods. We fund multidisciplinary clinics, because they keep people healthier longer and they conduct clinical trials. We lead ALS advocacy efforts in Washington, because ALS must be a national priority until there is a cure.

As important as our research program is, we know that we cannot succeed without people on our team who believe in and invest is us. Seth Godin put it this way, “Linchpins are indispensable, the driving force of our future.” A cure for ALS needs a linchpin and that linchpin is you. You can help us find a cure and provide compassionate care to people living with ALS by joining one of our Walks to Defeat ALS, signing up to be an ALS Advocate, volunteering, encouraging your family and friends to remember The ALS Association North Carolina Chapter in their will or by honoring a loved one through our Community of Hope. To learn more about these and other ways to help, visit our website at www.alsnc.org. Thank you for your support!

Jerry Dawson
President & CEO, The ALS Association North Carolina Chapter