Awareness Month
What is ALS Awareness Month?
ALS Awareness Month, recognized nationally each May, is an opportunity to share information with your community about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease, and the unmatched work of the Les Turner ALS Foundation. We invite you, your passion and commitment to a cure, to join us as we spread the message of hope and help for people living with ALS.
Above all, ALS Awareness Month is a way for community members to rally around people living with ALS and their families and spread awareness.
Did You Know?
- The average survival rate for someone affected by ALS is 2 to 5 years.
- More than 90% of people with ALS have no known family history of the disease.
- Researchers predict an individual's lifetime risk of acquiring ALS is about 1 in 300 by the age of 85.
- Each year, at the Foundation, we lose one-third of the people we directly serve to ALS.
- U.S. military veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS compared to non-veterans.

Share this Page
"Although I cannot conduct research in the labs at Northwestern Medicine or provide care at the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic, what I CAN do, just like we ALL CAN, is spread awareness about ALS."
How to Spread ALS Awareness All Year:
As we all know, ALS does not discriminate. If it does not impact you, it could very well affect someone you care about. So here are a few easy actions that you and your friends can take to help raise awareness of ALS.
- Make a donation to support ALS care and research
- Attend one of our events – Hope Through Caring Gala; ALS Walk for Life
- Run or donate to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon with Team Race for ALS
- Create a Fundraise Your Way page
- Donate to our Tag Days campaign
- Join our Young ProfessionALS Group (YPG)
- Volunteer with us at one of our events
You can make a difference this month and beyond because there is no time to waste!
