75-year-old disease is still a mystery of American baseball legend

On his 36th birthday, Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with sclerosis on one side of his body, causing his body to become paralyzed and only live for another 2 years.

"At every football field, people hang up flags. The legendary baseball players of the New York Yankees die after two years of fighting a rare one-sided muscular sclerosis , " Time wrote of his death. Lou Gehrig on June 2, 1941. Just a few years earlier, the man nicknamed the "iron horse" still roamed on baseball fields. Illness caused him to quickly lose his bright career.

According to Time, Gehrig played at the base 1 of 17 Major League Baseball seasons for the New York Yankees, from 1923 to 1939. Known for his strength and endurance, he won countless achievements, record as he won. 23 grand slam baseball, played continuously 2,130 matches, successfully performed 493 home run. At the height of his career, from the 1938 season, Gehrig's body began to change."I feel tired from the middle of the season. I don't understand why, but I can't continue , " the player said at the time.

Portrait of Lou Gehrig.(Photo: NY Daily).

In 1939, when the Yankees began training in Florida, it was clear that Gehrig had lost his form. His coordination and movement ability decreased significantly, achievement indicators fell to the worst level ever. James Kahn, a journalist who often writes about baseball, said : "I think there is something wrong with him. I mean physically. He faces the ball many times but does not go anywhere. " . As of course, Gehrig was put on the bench. Despite the Yankees captain's armband, he is no longer named in the official squad.

Gehrig's debilitating condition is getting worse. His wife Eleanor contacted the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Gehrig flew alone there on June 13, 1939. After 6 days of testing, the player received the results of sclerosis (ALS) on his 36th birthday. Doctors predicted that Gehrig would quickly become paralyzed, difficult to swallow, difficult to say and not live more than 3 years. ALS has no cure, can not determine the cause . It does not cause pain or transmission but is cruel in that even though the motor function of the central nervous system is destroyed , the patient is still aware of the final moment.

On June 21, 1939, two days after Gehrig's disease was made public, the Yankees announced their retirement. "Don't think I'm desperate or pessimistic , " Gehrig said of the decision to retire from baseball. "When the inevitable happens, I will accept and hope for the best. That's all we can do."

Gehrig on the football field.(Photos: perform group).

In 1940, Gehrig tried desperately to prevent the disease from progressing. He tried many methods including injection and taking vitamin E but not working. On the evening of June 2, 1941, Lou Gehrig died at his home and his name was used to set this mysterious disease.

Today, ALS is often referred to as the "Lou Gehrig's disease" as the ill-fated legend. 75 years have passed, medicine has not been able to determine the cause or treatment of ALS. The diagnosis is not easy because the results are often unclear until symptoms become severe. In the United States, many ALS patients voiced their support for humanitarian death to be released quietly.

Anyway, the fight to find a cure for ALS continues, just as Gehrig bravely said: "I am facing a difficult time but there is a life to look forward to."

Arterial muscle sclerosis (ALS) causes nerves in the brain and spinal cord to die gradually. Over time, the disease deprives you of walking, writing, eating, speaking, swallowing, breathing and shortening your life. Usually, common, normal. patients survived only 2-5 years after the diagnosis, but there are exceptions that typically endure the disease for more than 50 years.