Living with ALS

Meet Peggy Driessen who has ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease. She gets through each day with a positive attitude - and a lot of help from loved ones.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (abbreviated ALS, also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease) is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of neurons located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their afferent input. The condition is often called Lou Gehrig's disease in North America, after the famous New York Yankees baseball player who was diagnosed with the disease in 1939. The disorder is characterized by rapidly progressive weakness, muscle atrophy (muscle getting smaller) and fasciculations, spasticity, dysarthria (difficulty in speech), dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), and respiratory compromise.

This is a cruel disease but has brought a lot of good ting into her life. Although she is suffering from this untreatable disease, she is not depressed. She still have family and friends to lift her up.