- livingthedash.tv

For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

70 years ago on July 4th, 1939, Lou Gehrig said those words during his famous farewell speech at Yankee Stadium.

He had just begun a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a dibilitating disease that today bears his name and remains without a cure.

10 years ago this month, my college baseball coach, James Keller, died from ALS after fighting the disease for more than 6 years. When I first met Coach Keller as a freshman in 1995, the effects of the disease were hardly noticeable. As the disease progressed, the paralysis increased, but so did our coach’s courage and bravery. When ALS forced him off the field, he coached us from his wheelchair in our dugout.

Later in 1999, ALS claimed the life of another baseball legend, when Hall of Fame pitcher, Catfish Hunter, died from the disease at 53.

Today, it was great to see Major League Baseball partner with The ALS Association, ALS TDI, Augie’s Quest (the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS research initiative), and Project A.L.S. to raise awareness of ALS through the 4-ALS Awareness campaign.

The words from Gehrig’s speech were read today during the 7th inning stretch at all of the MLB ballparks.

You can read more about it on the 4-ALS Awareness blog.