About 5,600 people each year are diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, according to the ALS Association. ALS attacks the nerve cells in the body's brain and spinal cord, ultimately robbing a person of their ability to move, speak, swallow and even breathe on their own.

For more information about ALS, visit these Web sites:

alsa.org, ALS Association

ninds.nih.gov, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health

medlineplus.gov, MedlinePlus, a project of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health

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