Lou Gehrig's Farewell to be Saluted on July 4 By Gary Wosk, Staff Writer  In a historic tribute during game day events across the nation, The ALS Association is joining with Major League Baseball® and Minor League Baseball™ on July 4 to commemorate Lou Gehrig’s brave battle with ALS. The Association has launched the “Covering All the Bases® Hitting Challenge” during Major League Baseball’s “4ALS Awareness” charitable initiative that commemorates the 70th anniversary of Gehrig’s famous “Luckiest Man” farewell speech.   In the “Covering All the Bases” program, baseball fans and supporters of the fight against ALS can make a pledge for each hit made by their favorite Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball team on July 4th. After July 4th, supporters will still have an opportunity to participate and make a general contribution throughout the month of July.   Read full story North Texas Chapter of The ALS Association to Commemorate 70th Anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech at July 4th Texas Rangers Game  DALLAS: On July 4th, the Texas Rangers will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s famous “Luckiest Man” farewell speech that he gave as he battled the disease that ultimately took his life.  This commemoration is part of The ALS Association’s “Covering All the Bases” Hitting Challenge taking place during Major League Baseball’s “4ALS Awareness” charitable initiative.   Former Texas Ranger, Pete O'Brien, who lost his father to ALS, will read the Lou Gehrig speech on July 4th as the Texas Rangers host the Tampa Bay Rays.  In the “Covering All the Bases” Hitting Challenge, baseball fans and supporters of the fight against ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, can make a pledge that will be multiplied by each hit made by their favorite Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball team on July 4, 2009.   The funds raised from this campaign will support ALS Association chapter patient services programs, research, advocacy, education and public awareness. Incentives such as ALS Association commemorative pins, caps, T-shirts and Lou Gehrig prints, will be given to donors based on their level of contribution.  To participate online, visit the “Covering All the Bases” campaign website at www.alsa.org/coveringallthebases- You can also contact the chapter by mail to participate.  “People with ALS and their loved ones will be hoping for a slugfest that day,” said Michelle Spodnik, Board Chair of the North Texas Chapter of The ALS Association. “Since each hit potentially represents thousands of dollars that will be invested into state-of-the-art, global research efforts and helping patients live better lives.”   In addition to a reading of Gehrig’s speech in ballparks all over the nation on July 4th, all players and on-field personnel will wear the “4ALS” logo on their uniforms.  Major League Baseball’s 4ALS initiative, launched earlier this year, will culminate in an array of activities at Major League and Minor League ballparks across America on July 4th. The goal of the initiative is to educate the public about the progressive, neurodegenerative disease, ALS, while raising financial support for research into its causes as scientists search for a cure.    “The ALS Association commends Major League Baseball for initiating one of the most important ALS awareness campaigns ever undertaken,” said Jane H. Gilbert, President and  CEO of the association. “We are keeping our fingers crossed that official scorekeepers will be extra busy on July 4th, penciling in hits.”  ALS causes the progressive death of the motor nerve cells that operate muscles, robbing the brain of its ability to initiate and control movement. Approximately 30,000 Americans have the disease, for which there is no cure. They can expect to survive an average of only two to five years from the time of diagnosis.  The ALS Association is a not-for-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front. Through global research; providing assistance for people with ALS from a nationwide network of chapters; coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers; and fostering government partnerships; The ALS Association works to build hope and enhance quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure.  For more information about the “Covering All the Bases” Hitting Challenge, visit The ALS Association’s North Texas Chapter website at http://www.alsanorthtexas.org/or call 877-714-0088.  To arrange an interview with a representative from the chapter, a person living with ALS and possibly a Major League Baseball player, contact Jo Trizila (contact information above).

2008 Walk to Defeat ALS breaks records!  Learn more.   We Have ALS Bracelets! To order your ALS wristband, please click here or call the Chapter office at (877) 714-0088.   Have you ever wondered why your support is so important?  Click here to find out why! We need your gently used medical equipment!  For information on how to donate, visit our wish list.   Baylor Medical Center in Dallas Welcomes New ALS Neurologist!   Baylor Medical Center’s newest member of their neurology team, Rabia B. Choudry, M.D., is board certified in Neurology and Neuromuscular Medicine by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and in Electrodiagnostic Medicine by the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine.  She received her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA and completed her fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA.  She served as an attending neurologist and electromyographer at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA.  Dr. Choudry offers a full range of neurological services as well as a comprehensive program for the evaluation and treatment of Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).   Additionally, she also specializes in nerve conduction studies (NCS) and electromyography (EMG).    Dr. Choudry remarks, “I have been very fortunate to complete my research fellowship in Clinical Trials in ALS at the Massachusetts General Hospital under the world-renowned ALS researcher, Merit Cudkowicz, MD. I have also seen patients under the direction of Dr. Robert Brown, Jr. and Dr. Lisa Krivickas.  I am committed to the integrated care of ALS patients and am now in the process of developing a multidisciplinary ALS center at the Baylor-Dallas campus.  It will be my privilege to care for ALS patients in Dallas and the surrounding areas, and to work with The ALS Association.”   Dr. Choudry enjoys reading, writing and exercising in her free time.  She is now offering open access and welcoming new patients at the Baylor Dallas Campus in the Wadley Tower.  She accepts most insurance plans.    For an appointment, please call Dr. Choudry’s office at (214) 820-4688.

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