Renee Tessman, KARE 1:26 p.m. EDT July 5, 2014

ALS study at Mayo Clinic(Photo: Mayo Clinic)

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Seventy-five years ago, Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with the rare, neurological disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at the Mayo Clinic.

On July 4th, 1939, he gave his famous farewell speech to baseball fans.

Doctors now have a better understanding of the fatal disease but apart from medication that may give someone an extra couple of months, there is still no good way to extend someone's life.

Mayo Clinic researchers are working with stem cells to develop a new treatment. A New Brighton woman hopes to benefit.

Linda Leight spends every minute she can with her eight grandchildren. They visit her often at her home.

Time with grandchildren is always precious, but even more so for her because just like baseball legend Gehrig, Leight has ALS.

The disease that eventually paralyzes nearly all muscles in the body has started with her voice. Her speech was smooth and quick a few years ago. Now it is slow and slurred.

ALS causes neurons which control muscles to die, eventually making most ALS patients unable to breathe. Linda was diagnosed last September.

Original post:
Mayo researching ALS stem cell treatment