Take action againts ALS
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is the 2024 TMB charity cause.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known by the acronym ALS, is the charitable cause chosen by the TMB staff for 2024.
The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness about the disease and to give visibility to the work of the Miquel Valls Catalan ALS Foundation in the context of the TMB Foundation's solidarity project, focusing on all that the disease implies for the affected people and their families at a psychological, medical and social and economic level.
Improving the quality of life of those affected by ALS and their families is urgent and necessary. It is the best cure until a cure is found.
Calendar of actions
The TMB Foundation and the Miquel Valls Foundation have created a range of dissemination actions. The dates of the events will be announced soon.
- Presentation of the campaign and musical performance by Judit Neddermann (video in Catalan) who will perform the song Avui és el millor dia (Today is the best day), November 8 at 9.30 a.m. at the Universitat station.
- QA videos featuring the participation of an affected person, a family member, a doctor, and a representative from the Miquel Valls Foundation.
- Exhibition of material and support elements for people affected by ALS which facilitate daily life during the different moments of the disease. Show of the essential requirements in a complex process through which the affected person and their environment go. November 20, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the lobby of Universitat L2.
- Talk-colloquium on the disease, given by Juan Carlos Unzué (video in Spanish), former footballer and coach, currently a sports commentator as well as a disseminator and activist for ALS. November 20 at 6 p.m. at the Universitat station.
- Storytelling Dolça Cos del Cacho and a mural creation activity with childrem from Pau Casals school, December 17 from 9.45 a.m to 12 p.m. at the Guinardó|Hospital de Sant Pau metro station (L4).
Interview in Catalan
What is ALS?
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Motor Neuron Disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor neurons of the brain, brainstem and spinal cord, which are the cells responsible for transmitting the order of the voluntary movement from the brain to the muscles.
Degeneration of motor neurons causes the brain's ability to initiate and control muscle movement to be lost. Consequently, patients have progressive muscle atrophy causing progressive paralysis. Apart from motor autonomy, the ability to speak, swallow and breathe are also affected.
The disease currently has no cure and presents a very rapid evolution of a few years in most cases. There is still no treatment available to stop the degenerative process. The cause of ALS is not known, and scientists still do not know why ALS affects some people and not others.
Between 90-95% of ALS cases are considered sporadic ALS cases, in which the disease occurs apparently at random, without any clearly associated risk factors, although it is believed that both factors are involved endogenous (genetic and metabolic) and exogenous (environmental and related
Who does it affect?
ALS mainly affects people between the ages of 40 and 70, but it can also affect younger or older people. Men have a slightly higher incidence than women. It affects people all over the world, of any race and ethnic origin. It is estimated that around 500 people are affected in Catalonia, 3000 in Spain and 350,000 worldwide.
What does it entail?
The early symptoms of ALS can be so subtle that they are often overlooked. In some cases, symptoms initially affect one leg and patients experience difficulty walking or running, or stumble more often. In other people, the initial involvement occurs in a hand or arm and they experience difficulty with simple tasks that require manual dexterity such as buttoning a shirt, writing or turning a key in a lock. Other patients notice speech problems or difficulty chewing or swallowing.
The evolution of the disease is generally rapid, but it is important to note that no two cases of ALS are exactly the same. The symptoms and progression of the disease can vary greatly from one person to another and each case must be treated according to its specific needs and social situation. In most cases, the affected person is fully aware of their situation and the evolutionary process of the disease.
ALS also does not affect a person's ability to see, smell, hear, or recognize touch. Even so, studies have shown that ALS can sometimes be associated with frontotemporal dementia, which implies that in some cases the affected people may have cognitive or behavioral changes, to a greater or lesser degree.
The Miquel Valls Catalan ALS Foundation
The Miquel Valls Catalan ALS Foundation was born in 2005 in Calella (Barcelona) as a private and non-profit foundation, the result of the will and experience of the family of a person affected by ALS. Its aim is to improve the quality of life of people affected by the disease and their relatives, as well as to fight for more research to make ALS curable.
According to the Catalan ALS Foundation Miquel Valls, to improve the quality of life of people affected by ALS and their families, comprehensive care is necessary, with a humane and personalized vision of the psychosocial, medical and health aspects. It is for this reason that care at home and in the functional units of ALS is essential, without ever leaving aside the awareness of society and the public estates, as well as the support for research to make possible the care of the illness.
Among the many actions that this foundation carries out, its own campaign Make a Gesture for ALS stands out, a phrase and a gesture that the Foundation has registered as a trademark, which has become a symbol of the fight against 'ELA in general, especially in Catalonia.
Visit the website of the Catalan Foundation of ELA Miquel Valls.