For the roughly 5,000 people diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis , or ALS, each year, the disease is terminal. And that number is increasing. An estimated 33,000 Americans had ALS as of 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control , but the total is expected to rise to over 36,000 by 2030. Because of its often rapid progression and debilitating symptoms, the cost of care can be extreme, leading many to call ALS the "bankruptcy disease." The average age of diagnosis is 55, but ALS