Knowing when you're going to die can be a Catch-22. From date of onset, victims usually live three to five years. Most often striking adults between the ages of 35 and 65, ALS attacks and destroys specialized nerve cells called motor neurons, which control the movement of voluntary muscles. As cells are destroyed, existence becomes a vicious race run a day at a time, staying one step ahead of an engulfing tidal wave.
Speech begins to slur.
Chewing and swallowing are hampered. The limbs, neck and trunk stop functioning. All that remains is the mind. Total paralysis, including respiratory muscles, eventually results in death. There is no pain.