The Angel Fund, Inc was established to aid in the research and exchange of information concerning Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) between the medical community and family and friends of individuals afflicted with ALS. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease is a progressive and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons - the nerve cells that communicate with muscles. Selective loss of motor neurons causes weakness, muscle failure and eventual paralysis and death, typically within 3-5 years of initial diagnosis. ALS is a particularly devastating neurological disease as patients gradually lose their ability to move and communicate, and eventually breathe, all the while suffering no loss in their normal cognitive thinking and understanding - effectively a prisoner in their own body. The cause of ALS is unknown and there is no cure. There are approximately 30,000 individuals living with ALS in the United States. www.theangelfund.org