JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Eventually, people who are diagnosed with ALS lose the ability to walk, speak, and eventually, breathe. The disease is always fatal, usually within two to five years of diagnosis and there is no cause or cure (yet). The ALS Association has a goal to change that.

Studio 814’s Rebecca Petner sits down with Jeremy Portash, a member of the Johnstown Walk to Defeat ALS Committee about this weekend’s event.