Sarah Coglianese from San Francisco, CA was diagnosed in 2012 at age 33. She is a writer who was featured in the New York Times about raising a daughter to overcome any challenge, when she is faced with limitations from the progression of her ALS. She also is a blogger and fundraiser at www.Speed4Sarah.org.
Teresa Thurtle from Las Vegas, NV lost her father and grandmother to ALS. She is a US Air Force veteran and currently lives in Arlington, VA. She co-founded Bottoms Up 2 Down ALS in support of ALS TDI and organized the YFALS National Corntoss Challenge in Washington D.C. which will take place on Saturday, May 17.
Matthew Bellina from Skillman, NJ was diagnosed with ALS in April 2014 at age 30. He is a US Navy Lieutenant Commander (Select) who began his career in Naval Aviation flying the EA6B Prowler. He currently is living in Philadelphia, PA with his wife and two young sons, ages 2 ½ years and 7 ½ months. He wants to teach his sons to camp, throw a baseball, build a fire and kayak along with many of his other interests. He is committed to being present to successfully fight and beat this devastating disease.
Quinn, Coglianese, Thurtle and Bellina join 10 other YFALS ambassadors: Alex Grausnick from Shoreview, MN; Alyssa Reardon from Plantation, FL; Corey Reich from Piedmont, CA; Ian Hogg from Birmingham, AL; Katie Shambo from Merrimack, NH; Kelly Hilinski from Sherman Oaks, CA; Kevin Swann from Chicago, IL; Kristen Sauer from Waupun, WI; Kristin Quinn from Arlington, VA; and Sam Ketchum from Newton, MA.
In 2010, YFALS Ambassadors participated in several 4ALS Day events at MLB® ballparks, and in 2011, the campaign expanded to include a national “Corntoss Challenge” in cities nationwide.
About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cure for the disease. About 5,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year; the incidence is similar to multiple sclerosis. However, with no effective treatment, the average patient survives only 2-5 years following diagnosis. While exact figures are unknown, it is estimated that there are about 30,000 people in the US diagnosed with ALS today. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated at 450,000.
About ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI)
The mission of the
ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to discover and develop effective treatments for ALS patients today as soon as possible. ALS TDI is the world’s largest independent ALS/MND drug development-focused nonprofit organization. In addition to more than 30 internal therapeutic aimed programs, the world’s first nonprofit biotech partners with dozens of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide in order to advance potential treatments into the clinic. Its lead ALS therapeutic candidate, Novartis’ (Switzerland) Gilenya (TDI-132), is in Phase 2A clinical trial for ALS. For more information on its drug development programs, visit
www.als.net.