There is a new Face of ALS on the site today. Rich Pollock, a recently diagnosed father and husband, shares the story of finding out he had ALS and his thoughts on how to live with it.

Rich writes about the tests that he endured—many of them multiple times. I’d like to explain a bit about Electromyography (EMG), for those of you who haven’t experienced that particular joy. There are two parts to it, and I’ll keep this simple: In one part, they stick thin needles into your body and move them around, and in the other part, they give you electric shocks.

What, that doesn’t sound fun?

The tests are designed to find out how quickly your nerves are conducting electrical impulses and if there is any weakness in your muscles. There is a lot of data collected, but if the doctors find fibrillations or “fibs”, it’s not good news. Read More>