The two share other coincidences. Most notably, they live within a few miles of each other in a region that seems to have a cluster of ALS cases. Chenkus and Hufford know of 275 men and women in western Connecticut who are afflicted. They think that's a high number, so they've started to gather evidence to support a theory that suggests ALS may have a geographical component. We want to determine the relationships between people and find out why, in some places there are higher occurrences than others.
Symptoms usually begin to show up in middle age.
Chenkus said his wife, who worked for the Heritage Development Group in Heritage Village, was in perfect health before she slowly began to lose control of her muscles. One day, her gait became unsteady and she lost her balance. Eventually, she couldn't breathe, move, swallow or speak without assistance, and she had to communicate using eye movements. She fought the disease for seven years before she died of complications. Others don't live as long.