75th anniversary brings cause for celebration and for hope

By Carol Kleiner

I am a baseball fan. I love all aspects of the game:

It's your companion for the entire summer and - with luck - well into the fall.

Every at-bat creates its own set of circumstances that can turn the tide of a game in a heartbeat.

And though not every year brings a repeat of the Phillies' magical 2008 season, every season can be enjoyed for the ride it gives you.

I cherish baseball. I have delighted in the opportunity to spend special time with my son every summer for the past 16 years as we travel to a new ballpark, just the two of us. We have journeyed to 14 different parks and Cooperstown. This year, we're trekking to Atlanta.

I am a student of baseball. I find the stories, records, statistics, and superstitions fascinating, and I can second-guess a manager's decision with the best of them.

This summer, more than any previous summer, baseball strikes a particular chord in me.

Ten months ago, I was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The irony of this is not lost on me. And the fact that this July Fourth is the 75th anniversary of Gehrig's famous farewell speech strikes particularly close to home.

People may wonder how a man in the prime of his life could face death so gallantly. I wonder why, after 75 years, there is no effective treatment or cure for this devastating disease.

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks the motor neurons in the brain and spinal chord. These neurons send messages to the muscles in our body. As neurons die, the person progressively loses the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe. ALS is always fatal, usually within two to five years. I have been fortunate, if it is possible to say that, because my progression has been very slow.

When I was first diagnosed, I had no idea how the disease would progress. That is one of the most difficult things about ALS. Everyone is different, and the doctors can't tell you exactly what to expect. You are left feeling helpless. There is no plan of attack; there are no drugs or treatment to offer hope. You are left on the sidelines, watching and waiting as your body deteriorates. There is nothing you can do.

The human brain remains a mystery, especially when it comes to neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. Understood or not, they are a global epidemic. By 2025, one in 25 Americans are expected to be facing one of these conditions.

There is some very promising work being done at research institutions across the country, which suggests that a cure may be found soon - if enough resources are dedicated to this work. What is needed is funding for aggressive, collaborative research and an expedited path for drugs - from laboratory to patient - that are found to be useful. We must instill in our politicians a real sense of urgency because one day, each of us could be affected, either with our own diagnosis or that of a loved one.

This Fourth of July, I'll be watching as baseball celebrates Lou Gehrig's anniversary and legacy. The announcers will talk about him as the Iron Horse and as Gibraltar in Cleats. They will spew out all the numbers, all the at-bats, all the consecutive games. They will mention the competition between Gehrig and Babe Ruth. And, yes, they will talk about the man who said he got a "bad break" but still considered himself "the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."

I will celebrate all this right along with every other baseball fan. But I will also hope that by highlighting one man's life, attention is brought to the need to find a cure for all of us who share in that bad break.