One night, Leah Stavenhagen jolted awake due to severe leg pains. A year later her symptoms continuing and she learned the reasons behind them: Stavenhagen had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, what's more commonly known as ALS. She was caught completely off guard with this diagnosis but also felt relief that there was a reason she had been feeling so off. While coping with this new information, she and her family began to look for anything that would help. She also found herself feeling very alone in the ALS community, so she wanted to share her story. She started working with I am ALS, an advocacy organization, to connect with people like herself, and founded Her ALS Story for young women diagnosed with the disease. For the future, she hopes to increase awareness of ALS and that more funding be dedicated to research treatments and a cure. She is hopeful but also scared for what the future holds.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE