Drive for Life

April 9, 2004

Just before teeing off at The Masters, Tom Watson learned that Bruce Edwards, his longtime caddy, passed away after a 15 month struggle with ALS.

"Damn this disease!" Watson cried. "Damn it!" He paused and collected himself. "They are going to find a cure. We don't have one right now."

From the NIH, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Information

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive, fatal neurological disease affecting as many as 20,000 Americans with 5,000 new cases occurring in the United States each year. The disorder belongs to a class of disorders known as motor neuron diseases. ALS occurs when specific nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement gradually degenerate. The loss of these motor neurons causes the muscles under their control to weaken and waste away, leading to paralysis. ALS manifests itself in different ways, depending on which muscles weaken first. Symptoms may include tripping and falling, loss of motor control in hands and arms, difficulty speaking, swallowing and/or breathing, persistent fatigue, and twitching and cramping, sometimes quite severely. ALS strikes in mid-life.

To support research into ALS, donate to Driving 4 Life or the ALS Association.

(via Sugar, Mr. Poon?)

Posted by Andrew Raff at April 9, 2004 12:04 AM