Denham Springs man diagnosed with ALS helping to connect community
DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (Louisiana First) — Joe Redmond had a successful career as a radio and music executive in Louisiana and Tennessee for 40 years. Over time, he started having trouble with his voice and speaking.
'I was slurring and often asked to repeat things so I knew something was wrong,' he said.
Redmond saw many doctors over five years. Finally, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. This is a deadly neurodegenerative disorder that impacts motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
'Finally getting a diagnosis was kind of a relief,' he said.
Redmond said he struggles with his speech and balance. Because of this diagnosis, he had to retire. The 62-year-old Denham Springs resident has become an ALS advocate. He talks to state and federal lawmakers about more funding for ALS research. He also volunteers with EverythingALS and its Pathfinder program.
It's a free app to empower those living with ALS and offers essential resources for their caregivers 24/7. Families can find advice and emotional support. They can also chat with peers who understand their journey.
'It's nice to know there's someone else for you out there because this is a very isolating disease,' Redmond stated.
The ultimate goal of the program is to eradicate ALS.
Vice President JD Vance kicks off CPAC
Denham Springs man diagnosed with ALS helping to connect community
Krewe of Orion parade theme brings New Orleans to Baton Rouge
McConnell won't seek reelection to Senate
Creative control of James Bond franchise given to Amazon MGM
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
‘Sicker, weaker and less competitive': NIH chief to face Senate questions on budget cuts that threaten Mass.
The hearing comes at a pivotal moment for Bhattacharya and the NIH. On Monday, more than 300 NIH workers signed a letter to him decrying grant cuts, job terminations, and what they described as alarming politicization at an agency with a record of nonpartisan support for scientific research. The proposed cut, which would reduce the NIH budget to $27.5 billion, would be devastating for science and for Massachusetts' economy, said Bruce Fischl, a Harvard professor and neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital. 'I don't think there's a state in the country that's going to be impacted more than Massachusetts,' Fischl said. Advertisement The The NIH workers' An agency spokesperson on Monday described the grant cuts as an effort to remove ideological influence from the work NIH supports. 'We are ending wasteful practices focusing on DEI, gender ideology and focusing on NIH's mission of only impactful science,' according to the budget proposal. The NIH workers who crafted the letter to Bhattacharya see things differently. 'What we've been asked to do seems illegal,' said Sylvia Chou, an NIH program officer and one of the letter's signers, in an interview Monday. 'It's not just a matter of morality or ethics.' While it is unclear how such a massive cut would be implemented, Chou said one possibility she has heard discussed was to stop issuing new grants altogether. Advertisement Massachusetts received NIH grant cuts, which face court challenges, reached $8.7 billion nationally as of Monday, and are still growing. Massachusetts has been particularly hard hit, with $2.4 billion in lost grant money so far this year. That accounts for all but $126 million of the grants affected throughout New England. 'President Trump's NIH cuts will halt research into lifesaving cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, ALS — diseases that impact everybody,' Governor Maura Healey said in a statement Monday. 'The President is making our country sicker, weaker and less competitive." The grants cut so far have targeted specific topics, such as research that touches on LGBTQ+ issues, or institutions, such as Harvard, which has lost $2.2 billion in NIH funding. As devastating as they have been, their harms pale in comparison to what a 40 percent budget cut would do, Fischl said. 'The 40 percent budget cut would destroy science in America,' Fischl said. He is unsure whether he would be able to continue his own research that explores how AI could evaluate brain imaging to identify the impacts of conditions like Alzheimer's and evaluate the effectiveness of treatments. The HHS budget document stated NIH is 'committed to gold-standard science and the restoration of scientific integrity and transparency.' Advertisement That promise is hard to reconcile with the impact of the agency's policies, Fischl said. 'The only thing that's consistent with the pattern of actions that's been taken is the radical downsizing of science in America,' he said. Chou, the NIH worker, plans to tune in to the Senate hearing, she said. She hopes senators ask about the harms already caused by halted research. She expects Bhattacharya to discuss academic freedom and his dislike of intellectual censorship. 'Those are words that ring hollow right now,' she said. 'I really wish he would commit to listening to us.' Jason Laughlin can be reached at
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Common Psychiatric Medications May Increase Risk of ALS
New research shows that people who take certain psychiatric medications may be more likely to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND). This study, which was led by a team from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, raises some important questions about the connections between psychiatric symptoms, ALS, and MND, and how they might be targeted for treatment. Anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives, and antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed drugs for psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. In terms of increased ALS risk, it worked out as 34 percent, 21 percent, and 26 percent respectively for the three drug types. The increased risk is extremely small when taken in context with the low prevalence of ALS itself. Yet understanding these links could help improve our understanding of motor neurone disease and provide insights for specialists prescribing ways to treat common psychiatric disorders. "In this case-control study, prescribed use of anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives, or antidepressants was associated with a higher subsequent risk of ALS," write the researchers in their published paper. "Prediagnostic use of such medications was also associated with a poor prognosis after ALS diagnosis." At the moment, there's no cure for the progressive debilitation that ALS causes, as parts of the nervous system break down – leading to paralysis and, eventually, respiratory failure. The team also identified a slight increase in rate of decline and risk of an earlier death among those diagnosed with ALS who had been exposed to one of a number of psychiatric medications. The researchers used national health data in Sweden to compare 1,057 people with ALS who had been diagnosed between 2015 and 2023 with more than 5,000 controls matched for age and sex who had no MND diagnosis. The researchers also accounted for genetic and environmental factors in their analysis, further backing up the idea that the increased risk of ALS was connected to the medication – or the reasons the medications were prescribed. The data isn't enough to show the drugs are directly causing the increase in ALS risk. It's also possible that other health-related factors are causing both the prescription of psychiatric medications, and the higher likelihood of an ALS diagnosis. "This study adds to growing evidence that individuals with psychiatric conditions may face an elevated risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS," says neuroscientist Susannah Tye, from the University of Queensland in Australia, who was not involved in the study. "However, the implication that psychiatric medications themselves contribute to this risk should be interpreted with caution." Given that previous research has found people with psychiatric disorders are also more at risk of developing ALS, these results may provide some much needed detail to the overall picture of how these different conditions, and their causes and treatments, fit together. It's worth noting that ALS remains a rare condition, affecting around 9 in 100,000 people in the US. Depression and anxiety are much more common, which means millions of people take these medications to treat their mental health without ever developing ALS. Over time though, scientists are gradually understanding the different factors that affect ALS risk, which should provide clues as to how it might one day be effectively treated. The research has been published in JAMA Network Open. Dementia Risk Declining With Each Generation, Says Promising New Study Several Psychiatric Disorders Share The Same Root Cause, Study Finds New Smart Dental Floss Can Detect Your Stress From Saliva
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Orthopaedic clinic purchases former Roux 61 property
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The former site of a popular restaurant in the Capital City will be transformed into a medical clinic. Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic (BROC) announced that it has acquired the property formerly occupied by Roux 61 Seafood and Grill on Bluebonnet Boulevard. The newly acquired property will be redeveloped to add clinic space. Construction and renovation plans are currently in development. BROC states that its goal is to serve more patients and improve access to orthopedic care in south Louisiana. Additional details about the clinic will be shared in the coming months. Known for its boldly flavored food and seafood cuisine, Roux 61 closed its doors for good on Saturday, May 31. LSU fans invited to break College World Series Jello Shot Challenge record Billie Eilish's brother Finneas says he was tear-gassed during LA ICE protest ICE arrests top 100K under Trump Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies Apple announces iOS 26: When is it coming, and what devices can't get it? Orthopaedic clinic purchases former Roux 61 property Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
