Stephen Hawking, the British physicist, has had plenty to say about the big bang theory, which made him a natural for “The Big Bang Theory.” The TV sitcom, not the beginning of the universe. “When people would ask us who a ‘dream guest star’ for the show would be, we would always joke and say Stephen Hawking,” the show’s executive producer, Bill Prady, said in a statement when Hawking’s appearance was announced in March. “In fact, we’re not exactly sure how we got him. It’s the kind of mystery that could only be understood by, say, a Stephen Hawking.”
‘JASON BECKER: NOT DEAD YET’ is a new feature-length documentary that chronicles the heroic and incredible true story of guitar legend, Jason Becker. The film chronicles Jason’s life from his youth, to his days as a lightning fast guitar player and rock star, and to his present-day struggles with an incurable disease. Jason’s amazing story is told through interviews, never-before-seen archive footage of his performances; as well as unreleased family photos and footage from the Becker archives. The soundtrack is comprised of Jason’s released and unreleased material including demos from his childhood and new material he has been working on. The film was shot using a combination of full 1080p HD cameras and 16mm film.
Via Scoop.it – ALS Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Professor Stephen Hawking, the eminent physicist who suffers from motor neurone disease, will appear in an episode of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory next month. He will play himself in the so-called “geekcom,” which focuses on the lives of four socially awkward scientists and their actress neighbour, alongside the character of Sheldon Cooper played by Jim Parsons. Producers had asked the Brief History of Time author to appear on the show several times in the past, but he had been too ill to accept. The Big Bang Theory is the second most popular sitcom in the United States, after Two and a Half Men. Professor Hawking’s episode will air in America next month, and on Channel 4 on a date yet to be announced. Via www.telegraph.co.uk
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This is the third report following St. Thomas professor Bruce Kramer as he copes with life after being diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. By Cathy Wurzer, Minnesota Public Radio Via minnesota.publicradio.org
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The human body doesn’t normally bend in the directions Frank Provost’s body was bending Friday morning.In the sunlit living room of his rural Hinesburg home, Provost worked with Michele Denault-Reynolds, a licensed nursing assistant with the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties, to loosen his muscles that seize up as a result of his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Provost sat in his motorized wheelchair as the nurse bent his arm over his head. She took his left leg and held it in position for several seconds over the right side of his body to improve his flexibility and reduce the muscular spasticity that makes it hard for Provost to fend for himself. “Trying to make him a pretzel,” his wife, Kim Provost, joked. The Burlington Free Press profiled Frank and Kim Provost a year ago on the eve of a fundraiser their family helped organize to benefit the ALS Therapy Development Institute, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that’s trying to find a cure for the fatal disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. A year later, just before the second annual fundraiser tonight in Colchester, that declining muscular flexibility represents the biggest change in Frank Provost’s physical condition. Via www.burlingtonfreepress.com
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A Richmond man who has defied the odds in music and medicine is the star of a new documentary premiering in San Jose.Jason Becker was on his way to becoming a rock star. But that didn’t happen. At age 20, Jason was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He slowly lost the ability to control his body. Doctors gave him just three to five years to live. When ABC7 first met him in 1996, he had already proved the doctors wrong. Now he is 42 years old.And almost more incredible, during all those years, even though Jason can’t move or speak, he has continued composing spectacular music. His music has fans all over the world, from heavy metal guitar lovers to ballet companies.ABC7 talked director Jesse Vile about his film “Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet” and why he wanted to make a movie about Jason. “His story isn’t just the story of a rock star or a kid trying to realize his dreams, it’s really the story of family and love and triumph over adversity; those are all themes that are universal,” Vile said. Via abclocal.go.com
Via Scoop.it – ALS Lou Gehrig’s Disease Many of you will remember Gina for her roles in Dennis Potter’s ‘Blackeyes’, or as the hilarious Jane in the sitcom ‘Coupling’. Gina’s mother, Helen, has MND and Gina describes how the disease has impacted on the Bellman family. Via sarahezekiel.blogspot.com
Via Scoop.it – ALS Lou Gehrig’s Disease It is an incredible story of courage and home. Cougar football great and Gonzaga Prep grad Steve Gleason is battling ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Disease – which has no known cure. But, he’s not waiting around for the disease to kill him. He’s living life and helping others diagnosed with the same disease. Via www.kxly.com
Via Scoop.it – ALS Lou Gehrig’s Disease Marc Basnight, the most powerful state senator for most of the past two decades, has Lou Gehrig’s disease, a fatal degenerative illness.Basnight, 64, retired from the state Senate a year ago, saying he was suffering from a disease that affected his balance and speech, which would hinder his ability to engage in floor debates. He said at the time that doctors hadn’t yet identified the illness. Neurologist Dr. Benjamin Brooks, who is treating Basnight at Carolinas Medical Center, said Monday it was a tough case to diagnose. Via www.wral.com
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It’s no cup of tea.”Those are the words of former University of Alabama, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles fullback Kevin Turner, describing his current health at age 42. Turner was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, before his 41st birthday. While Turner has an official diagnosis of ALS, he believes he may have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease that is caused by repeated trauma to the brain over a period of time. According to a New York Times article, 12 former NFL players’ autopsies revealed CTE, but two of them had been originally diagnosed with ALS while they were alive. Former USC and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Eric Scoggins was diagnosed with ALS, but when doctors did a post-mortem exam, they discovered high levels of two proteins that cause motor-neuron degeneration and are associated with CTE. “CTE is caused by repetitive hits to the head which releases a tau protein that begins to slowly kill off brain cells. In people who were diagnosed with ALS, when you look at their brains, you don’t see this tau protein,” Turner says. “With people like Eric Scoggins — who had ALS and also played football — their brains and spinal cords had tau proteins.” Via msn.foxsports.com
Many of you will remember Gina for her roles in Dennis Potter’s ‘Blackeyes’, or as the hilarious Jane in the sitcom ‘Coupling’. Gina’s mother, Helen, has MND and Gina describes how the disease has impacted on the Bellman family.
It is an incredible story of courage and home. Cougar football great and Gonzaga Prep grad Steve Gleason is battling ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Disease – which has no known cure. But, he’s not waiting around for the disease to kill him. He’s living life and helping others diagnosed with the same disease.
Marc Basnight, the most powerful state senator for most of the past two decades, has Lou Gehrig’s disease, a fatal degenerative illness.Basnight, 64, retired from the state Senate a year ago, saying he was suffering from a disease that affected his balance and speech, which would hinder his ability to engage in floor debates. He said at the time that doctors hadn’t yet identified the illness. Neurologist Dr. Benjamin Brooks, who is treating Basnight at Carolinas Medical Center, said Monday it was a tough case to diagnose.
ALS Research News 