January 29, 2025
Delegate Don Scott
Chair, Rules Committee
House Committee Room B – 205
Richmond, Virginia
The Honorable Chair Scott, Vice Chair Helmer and Members of the Rules Committee:
RE: HJ 466 – Designating May, in 2025 and in each succeeding year, as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month in Virginia
Position: SUPPORT
My name is Lindsay Jack, and I am the Managing Director of Advocacy at the ALS Association. I am writing today in support of HJ 466: Designating May, in 2025 and in each succeeding year, as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month in Virginia.
ALS is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, It slowly robs a person’s ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. There is no cure for ALS (also commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), every diagnosis is lethal. Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with the disease, and someone passes away from it.
The rate at which ALS progresses can vary, although the mean survival time with ALS is two to five years, some people live five years, 10 years, or even longer.
Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, cases of the disease do occur in people in their twenties and thirties.
ALS is more common in men than women, and for unknown reasons, military veterans are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than the general public.
Life changes after an ALS diagnosis. Being diagnosed with ALS is devastating and overwhelming. At the ALS Association we assist people with ALS and their families throughout Virginia and the rest of the country through our care services team and certified clinical care centers. The ALS Association is the largest philanthropic funder of ALS research in the world, funding global research collaborations, and advocating for better public policies for people with ALS. The ALS Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while urgently searching for new treatments and a cure.
For all these reasons, I respectfully request your support for House Joint Resolution 466. Thank you to Delegate McClure for introducing this resolution and to the members of the House Rules Committee for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Jack
Lindsay Jack
Managing Director, Advocacy
The ALS Association
Lindsay.Jack@als.org
January 29, 2025 Delegate Don Scott Chair, Rules Committee House Committee Room B – 205 Richmond, Virginia The Honorable Chair Scott, Vice Chair Helmer and Members of the Rules Committee: RE: HJ 466 – Designating May, in 2025 and in each succeeding year, as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month in Virginia Position: SUPPORT My name is Lindsay Jack, and I am the Managing Director of Advocacy at the ALS Association. I am writing today in support of HJ 466: Designating May, in 2025 and in each succeeding year, as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month in Virginia. ALS is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, It slowly robs a person’s ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. There is no cure for ALS (also commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), every diagnosis is lethal. Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with the disease, and someone passes away from it. The rate at which ALS progresses can vary, although the mean survival time with ALS is two to five years, some people live five years, 10 years, or even longer. Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, cases of the disease do occur in people in their twenties and thirties. ALS is more common in men than women, and for unknown reasons, military veterans are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than the general public. Life changes after an ALS diagnosis. Being diagnosed with ALS is devastating and overwhelming. At the ALS Association we assist people with ALS and their families throughout Virginia and the rest of the country through our care services team and certified clinical care centers. The ALS Association is the largest philanthropic funder of ALS research in the world, funding global research collaborations, and advocating for better public policies for people with ALS. The ALS Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while urgently searching for new treatments and a cure. For all these reasons, I respectfully request your support for House Joint Resolution 466. Thank you to Delegate McClure for introducing this resolution and to the members of the House Rules Committee for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Lindsay Jack Lindsay Jack Managing Director, Advocacy The ALS Association Lindsay.Jack@als.org