Department of Defense Picks Countryside Woman to Serve on ALS Panel

Mary Lou Pisone of Countryside is committed to making a difference to those affected by ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. 

Having cared for her husband Rich, who passed away from ALS in 2001, Pisone knows the importance of increasing awareness of the disease and raising funds for research and patient services. A member of the Les Turner ALS Foundation’s board of directors since 2010, Pisone recently has been appointed by the Department of Defense to represent the Foundation on a peer review panel for ALS scientific proposals, according to a news release from the Department of Defense. 

“I’m honored to have been chosen and excited by the prospect of being part of such an important national initiative dedicated to funding ALS research studies,” Pisone said in a statement. “It is encouraging to see the government committed to finding answers to this devastating disease, which affects approximately 35,000 people in the United States at any given time. A disproportionate number of military veterans are diagnosed with ALS, which might make this a priority cause for the Department of Defense.”

Established in the early 1990's from a grassroots advocacy movement to increase breast cancer research funding, the U.S. Congress began appropriating money towards research to be managed by the Department of Defense. In 2007, the program added ALS to the list of disease categories and, to date, the program has appropriated more than $6 billion to groundbreaking research.  

Pisone’s role as a consumer reviewer, which is classified as an individual living with ALS or his/her family member, will be to review applications for research funding and focus on the significance of the proposed work as it relates to improved medical care, enhanced quality of life and the potential of the work to make an impact toward finding a cure for ALS. The panelists will convene to discuss the research grant applications near the nation’s capital in mid-December. 

ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a terminal neuromuscular disease that attacks a person’s muscles, gradually robbing them of their ability to walk, speak, eat and breathe, yet usually keeping their mind intact. More than 5,600 Americans are diagnosed with ALS each year and the incidence of ALS is close to that of multiple sclerosis and four times that of muscular dystrophy. Currently there is no cure.  

Les Turner ALS Foundation

Founded in 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation is one of the nation’s preeminent organizations dedicated to the treatment and elimination of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Foundation is affiliated with Northwestern Medicine where it funds two research laboratories and a multi-disciplinary clinical program. The Foundation’s patient services include, support group meetings, professional in-home consultation services, communications and durable medical equipment programs, respite care grants, and educational activities. The Foundation serves approximately 90 percent of the ALS population in the Chicago area.

Information courtesy of a news release from the Department of Defense.