Founded in 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation is the leader in comprehensive ALS care in Chicagoland. Although we're one of the largest independent ALS groups in the country, we treat each person like family and we're committed to supporting them every step of the way. Our individualized approach ensures each person living with the disease receives the best quality of care, and our local community of support provides their loved ones with answers and encouragement. Our Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern Medicine is led by the most well-respected and successful clinicians and researchers in the field, advancing vital care and research in pursuit of life-enhancing treatments and a cure. About ALS: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neuron disease (MND), is a progressive disease that causes muscle weakness, difficulty speaking and swallowing and generally, complete paralysis. In most cases, while the body continues to deteriorate, the mind remains unaffected. The disease does not discriminate, striking any age, gender and race. In the US, someone is diagnosed every 90 minutes, and approximately 35,000 people are living with ALS at any given time. There is no known cure for ALS and once diagnosed, patients typically live only three to five years.