Tag: Maritz L. Lubo

UNDER a pink blanket, “Mary” seemed like just another patient shivering from the breeze coming out of the air-conditioning unit in the corridors of the University of Santo Tomas Doctors' Clinic.

Wheelchair-bound and smiling, Mary had bright eyes that had no trace of the disease that was out to get her life. She has been having a hard time moving her limbs for the past two years.

Raymond Rosales, M.D., a specialist on nerve-muscle movement disorders, diagnosed Mary with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Chances are, Rosales said, Mary may eventually succumb to total paralysis. With no cure for the disease, Rosales said about four percent of ALS patients undergoing treatment barely make it past a decade.