Les Turner ALS Foundation

The Les Turner ALS Foundation, founded in 1977, is Chicago’s leader in research, patient care and education about ALS, serving more than 90 percent of people with ALS (PALS) in the area, offering help and hope when it’s needed most. The Foundation’s full spectrum patient service programs include in-home consultations, support groups, equipment loans and educational programs. The Foundation offers hope for a future without ALS by supporting the Les Turner ALS Foundation Research and Patient Center at Northwestern Medicine, bringing together three research laboratories and a multi-disciplinary patient center under one umbrella.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neuron disease (MND), is a progressive disease that causes muscle weakness, difficulty speaking and swallowing and generally, complete paralysis. In most cases, while the body continues to deteriorate, the mind remains unaffected. The disease does not discriminate, striking any age, gender and race. In the US, someone is diagnosed every 90 minutes, and approximately 35,000 people are living with ALS at any given time. There is no known cure for ALS and once diagnosed, patients typically live only three to five years.