MLB launches annual Lou Gehrig Day to be held on June 2 to celebrate his battle against ALS

**pwaldo** · 03-06-2021, 10:09 PM

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...fight-ALS.html

Following a two-year campaign by people battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their loved ones, Major League Baseball will launch the annual Lou Gehrig Day on June 2 to honor the legendary Yankees first baseman's battle against the disease and raise money for ALS charities.

Uniformed personnel will also help raise awareness about the disease by wearing patches with the '4-ALS' logo, which references Gehrig's retired jersey number.

The date is significant for two reasons: Gehrig died at 37 from ALS on June 2, 1941, which was 16 years to the day after his record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played began. (Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. broke the mark in 1998)

The Hall of Famer has been the face of ALS in the United States for over eight decades.

Many Americans have been referring to ALS as 'Lou Gehrig's Disease' ever since his famed 'Luckiest Man Alive' speech, in which he bid farewell to a tearful crowd at Yankee Stadium on Independence Day in 1939. The moment was later portrayed by Gary Cooper in the 1942 film, 'Pride of the Yankees.'

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in paralysis or muscle weakening. The average life span for patients is only a few years after diagnosis, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery. However, many can survive for years with ALS, such as physicist Steven Hawking, who died over half a century after his diagnosis.

There are approved treatments for ALS, but there is no cure. An estimated 5,000 Americans are diagnosed with ALS every year.