My Life With ALS Rogers TV Interview! My mom was diagnosed January 19th 2006 and passed away January 29th 2010. ALS, sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease or motor neuron disease, is a rapidly progressive fatal neuromuscular disease. It is characterized by degeneration of a select group of nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord, which lead to progressive paralysis of the muscles. ALS can strike anyone. ALS is not contagious, does not discriminate, and can strike at any age. ALS most often occurs between the ages of 40 and 70, but it can also occur in older and younger adults, and rarely in teenagers (Mitsumoto and Munsat, 2001). ALS is usually fatal within two to five years of diagnosis. There is a hereditary pattern in about 5 -- 10 per cent of cases.

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