Hawkins is a rare case of someone who has survived day with ALS . ALS Association affects as many as 30,000 people worldwide and 350,000 people in the U.S . Symptoms vary from person to person ; some lose their speech but others do not . Clinical trials are in progress for a variety of treatments .
Stephen Hawking is a rare case of someone who has survived decades with ALS . ALS affects 350,000 people worldwide and as many as 30,000 people in the U.S . Symptoms vary from person to person ; some lose their speech but others do not . Clinical trials are in progress for a variety of treatments .