My greatest good friend is baseball’s preeminent researcher. And she has ALS

It’s been 82 years since Lou Gehrig handed away, and far has modified on the planet since then. But there may be one factor that, one way or the other, has not.

On Gehrig’s thirty sixth birthday — June 19, 1939 — he introduced that he had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It had been found within the 1800s, however nobody had actually heard of it till Gehrig’s nearly two-year battle with the illness, which took his life on June 2, 1941. His story is so well-known that ALS is now known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”

And but greater than eight a long time later, we nonetheless haven’t realized rather more in regards to the illness that bears his title. And whereas Gehrig stays the image of ALS for many, there may be one other particular person within the baseball world who has develop into the present-day face of ALS: My greatest good friend, Sarah Langs.

Prior to 2021, I really didn’t know a lot about Lou Gehrig’s Disease. I solely began studying about it as a result of on Aug. 13 of that yr, Sarah known as me to inform me she was identified with ALS. As I replicate on that decision and the time since, there may be a lot I want I might inform Lou Gehrig about Sarah.

And since I can’t inform Gehrig straight, I’ll share it right here.

Sarah and I met by way of our jobs at Major League Baseball. I’m a reporter in Cleveland. She’s a researcher based mostly in New York. But when she let our boss know in 2019 that she’d be attending the identical recreation I’d be overlaying on her annual Spring Training journey together with her mom, our boss reached out to me simply in case I’d wish to meet her. I used to be comfortable to and we chatted for 3 or 4 minutes. In that second, I had no thought I had simply met my greatest good friend.

It was a quick, awkward interplay, like every first meetup is. But after I walked away, her pleasure and keenness for baseball stayed with me. It was refreshing. I used to be at all times the younger, wide-eyed reporter who cherished displaying up for work every day. Seasoned reporters cherished joking with me that my jubilance would rapidly fade. But after I talked to Sarah, I used to be lastly with somebody who considered it the identical manner I did — let’s face it, much more so than I did. There was no manner I wasn’t going to remain in contact together with her.

We’ve talked every single day since. And belief me, that’s no hyperbolic assertion. It didn’t take me lengthy to comprehend she is the definition of a baseball nerd — one thing I feel Gehrig would love about her. If you will have ever discovered your self watching a recreation and thought, “I wonder the last time this happened?” Sarah already had the reply 4 innings in the past, simply sitting there able to Tweet it.

No one deserves to dwell by way of ALS, particularly not Sarah. But ever since she was identified, we’ve discovered so many eerie ties between her and Gehrig that it’s nearly as if she was destined to observe in his footsteps.

She started her profession at ESPN in 2015 — three years earlier than others observed that she was strolling with a slight limp (her first signal of ALS). On her first day, she observed Lou Gehrig’s well-known farewell speech on the wall close to her desk. It’s the speech that he gave simply weeks after he was identified, explaining his scenario with a way-too-early goodbye to baseball. For some purpose, she determined to take an image of it with no actual purpose why. It’s nearly as if there was an unexplained connection between them already.

Gehrig’s speech was one of the vital brave and empowering moments on this recreation’s historical past. His journey was compelled to be within the public eye, whether or not he wished it to be or not. Sarah sadly is aware of that plight all too effectively. She was capable of maintain her prognosis non-public for somewhat greater than a yr earlier than individuals began to note her voice sounded totally different than it had up to now. It was then, like Gehrig, she needed to tackle the general public, explaining her scenario and asking individuals to present others grace. Not her, she might deal with the criticism she obtained. But she wished to verify the message was clear: You by no means know what persons are coping with.

Sarah learn a e book that was written by Jonathan Eig about Gehrig this offseason and there have been so many issues she couldn’t consider had been so much like her personal story. For instance, she realized that Gehrig wrote thanks notes to his medical doctors, expressing his gratitude regardless of the horrific information they continued to ship. When Sarah was identified with that very same illness that’s 100% deadly, she wrote a thanks word to her physician. I don’t know who else would try this in a second of such private heartbreak.

I can’t consider I made it this far with out mentioning that Sarah LOVES her birthday. I want I might daring it, circle it, underline it, scream it, no matter I can to make it clear simply how a lot she loves May 2, which simply so occurs to be the day Gehrig informed his supervisor he shouldn’t be within the lineup as a result of his undiagnosed ALS was making it too tough to proceed to play. That ended his legendary streak of two,130 consecutive video games performed.

He was referred to as The Iron Horse for that sturdiness. If somebody can consider one thing extra sturdy than an Iron Horse, that’s the title that Sarah ought to have. She’d been looking for a solution to what she thought was an ankle downside since 2018. But as medical doctors continued to dig into the weakening of her ankle (and ultimately leg) muscle mass, they couldn’t discover solutions. They ran each take a look at recognized to man — issues no particular person of their 20s ought to need to endure. Yet Sarah by no means informed anybody. Not even me. She hit each deadline for her tales. She by no means requested for day off. And after her prognosis was lastly given to her in July of 2021, this reliability and consistency hasn’t modified.

Gehrig was the captain of the Yankees, which is a place that requires you to be a selfless chief. There could be no higher solution to describe Sarah than these two phrases.

She’s develop into a pacesetter within the ALS group, utilizing her platform to advocate for ALS analysis. Right now, she has a #FistBumps4ALS initiative that encourages individuals to boost consciousness for the illness by sharing images of themselves and tagging others to unfold the phrase. She’s on the quick observe to simply hitting her aim of elevating $30,000. In January, she impressed me to run a half-marathon, and we raised greater than $100,000 within the course of.

She’s as selfless because it will get. She was within the early levels of determining learn how to journey below these new circumstances, and she or he nonetheless flew to Cleveland to be my bridesmaid final yr. If a random bundle exhibits up on my doorstep, I already realize it’s Sarah, stunning me with a present. And after I spent my birthday in New York final yr, overlaying the ALDS, she had pastries ready for me at my lodge for breakfast. When I bought to the sport, she had a dozen cupcakes delivered to me. We ought to all be extra like Sarah.

No second explains her higher than that painful telephone name she made to me on Aug. 13.

I knew one thing was up. We by no means known as one another earlier than; we solely texted or chatted on-line. After a clumsy and temporary introduction, she uttered the phrases, “I have ALS.”

I used to be speechless. She knew I used to be speechless, which was her greatest worry. 

“I’m sorry,” she stated.

“Sorry?” I stated. “What on earth are you apologizing for?” 

“Because I don’t want to make you sad,” she responded.

This was typical Sarah, apologizing for one thing she shouldn’t. Of course, I informed her she was insane for saying that, which was a pleasant icebreaker for the second, however in actuality, her phrases hit me like a semi-truck. I informed her I used to be sorry she has to undergo this. I informed her I had no thought what to say as a result of what’s there to say in this kind of a second?

All I knew is that nothing would change between us. In truth, it made us nearer.

I’ve had a front-row seat to her empowering journey. She coated the Home Run Derby in Los Angeles final yr and the World Baseball Classic in Arizona and Florida this yr – all whereas her physique tries to fail her. She refuses to cave.

But Gehrig has proven us all first-hand what the truth of this case is. You can battle this illness as arduous as you need, however ultimately, it wins.

Medications supplied to these with ALS lengthen lives by a matter of months, not years. According to Sarah’s favourite analysis group, Project ALS, 30,000 persons are residing with ALS within the United States at any given time. More than 100,000 reside with it worldwide. The common life expectancy after getting your prognosis is simply two to 5 years.

Sarah is aware of she most likely received’t see the remedy for ALS in her lifetime, however she’s decided to boost funds to assist the analysis it takes to seek out that remedy, so others don’t need to have as devastating of an outlook as she has.

I do know Gehrig could be appalled to study that greater than eight a long time after his loss of life, there have been no enhancements for these residing with ALS. But if one way or the other I might simply discuss with him for a couple of minutes to elucidate Sarah’s story, I do know he would discover solace in the truth that Sarah is preventing to make a distinction.

And she would be the distinction. I simply realize it.