Jefferson
Aldrich Foundation Supports Research at Jefferson’s Weinberg ALS Center
Howard B. Miller was in top physical condition, living a healthy lifestyle and swimming competitively. Then the symptoms began. After a year of doctor visits, multiple tests, and a myriad of medical opinions, he finally received a diagnosis—Bulbar-onset Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He died two years later at the age of 66.
ALS, a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease, leads to paralysis and death usually within three to five years of diagnosis. Approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. are currently living with ALS, and 5,000 more will be diagnosed every year.
For those diagnosed with ALS the best hope for better treatments and a cure lies in research. A recent $1.6 million gift from the Aldrich Foundation to name the Howard B. Miller Biorepository and Biomarkers ALS Research Program at the Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center will enable scientists to work toward a brighter tomorrow for those with the debilitating disorder.