MDA ACTIVITIES SPOTLIGHT NATIONAL ALS AWARENESS MONTH

TUCSON, Ariz., May 1, 2007 — This May, the Muscular Dystrophy Association will mark the 16th annual national ALS Awareness Month by holding events in communities across the country and spotlighting information about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

ALS is a deadly neuromuscular disease that attacks the nerve cells that control voluntary muscles, causing progressive weakness and eventually paralysis. Survival is usually three to five years after diagnosis. ALS affects more than 30,000 American adults, with 5,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

During May, MDA chapters nationwide will hold events to inform the public about ALS and the MDA ALS Division’s programs of research, services and information.

Nationally, MDA will launch and promote an online series called “ALS: Anyone’s Life Story” that highlights a person with ALS every day of the month. Mini-features and photos on the MDA ALS Division Web site (www.als-mda.org) will help illustrate the dramatic impact the disease can have on an individual and their loved ones.

The ALS Division is co-chaired by Augie and Lynne Nieto of Corona del Mar, Calif. Augie Nieto, 49, an entrepreneur and pioneer in the fitness equipment industry, learned he had ALS in 2005.

MDA’s ALS Awareness efforts will also spotlight some significant research strides made by MDA-funded researchers in the past year. Since last May, MDA launched a historic drug discovery effort in conjunction with the ALS Therapy Development Institute in Cambridge, Mass., and teamed with the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix for a groundbreaking effort that found new clues about the genetic underpinnings of ALS.

MDA provides services such as specialized medical care at 37 MDA/ALS centers and some 225 hospital-affiliated MDA clinics throughout the country.

It also provides medical equipment loans, support groups, online chats and financial assistance with the purchase and repair of wheelchairs, leg braces and communication devices.

The MDA ALS Division Web site provides the latest information at www.als-mda.org. The site is also a gateway to MDA’s ALS-specific publications, including the monthly MDA/ALS Newsmagazine and books about living with the disease.

For information about specific MDA ALS Awareness Month activities in your area, call (800) 572-1717.

MDA is a voluntary health organization working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education.