Living with ALS

Mike White, a 46-year-old Persian Gulf War veteran, has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It is a fatal motor-neuron disease that kills nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, eventually leaving a person paralyzed. Most people with the disease die between two to five years after diagnosis. Mike was diagnosed in February 2011. Studies have shown that military veterans are up to twice as likely to get ALS compared to the average American, but no one knows why. I spent six months with Mike and his family to understand what life what life was like for people suffering from ALS.