Season 2 Episode 18: ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a rare neurological disease of the brain and spinal cord that primarily affects the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement (those muscles we choose to move). Voluntary muscles produce movements like chewing, walking, and talking. The disease is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time. Currently, there is no cure for ALS and no effective treatment to halt or reverse the progression of the disease. Listen as Brad Gabrielson describes what it was like to have a mother who contracted the disease, and how it takes its toll on the body.