Medical Mavericks

ALS patients take their fate into their own hands, self-administering an unapproved chemical and collating their results online.

Written byJef Akst

| 4 min read

Save for Later

Listen with Speechify

0:00

4:00

MRI scan of the brain of a patient diagnosed with ALS RADIOPEDIA.ORG

Eric Valor used to be an avid surfer, catching waves off the California coast near his home in Santa Cruz every weekend, and occasionally early in the morning before work. But in October 2004, his left foot started misbehaving, failing to find the correct position on his surfboard when Valor popped to his feet. “The foot would drag on takeoff, resulting in poor placement and subsequent wipeout,” he recalls.

After a series of minor muscle twitches, his dragging foot was the last straw, that finally got him to the doctor. In April 2005, Valor was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). By that fall, his surfing days were over.

Valor is now paralyzed from the neck down, and he breathes with the help of a ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
View Full Profile