Paralyzed Veterans of America Blog

A diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is life-changing under any circumstances. For veterans, it can feel especially isolating. It’s a battle fought not on foreign soil, but within the body of someone who already gave so much in service to this country. According to an American Academy of Neurology study, veterans are twice as […]

By the time a caregiver reaches out for help, the clock is already running. For veterans living with ALS, a disease that progresses relentlessly, stripping away speech, movement, and independence, there is no time to navigate the complex bureaucracy alone. That’s where Paralyzed Veterans of America steps in.Recently, a social worker at an ALS clinic […]

It’s a camaraderie that I can’t really explain and I hadn’t really found since the Air Force until I went to the PVA Women’s Retreat, even though I had been searching and searching.Growing up in a Marine Corps family, a military career always made sense to Air Force Veteran Tonya. After college, and shortly after […]

Maria has always wanted to serve.  When she was in high school in the early 1970s, she wrote a letter to West Point to request an application. They told her they didn’t accept female applicants.   Women were also not yet allowed to participate in ROTC. Undeterred, she joined the Women’s Army Corps.  “I was […]

U.S. Navy Veteran Tony was diagnosed with MS in 2005, the same year he was expecting twin boys. Tony had been a lieutenant when he was on his first operational deployment to Bahrain. While there, he played soccer and worked out, but noticed he was having a lot of weakness and fatigue. He thought it […]

The force of nature known as Ann Adair served in the U.S. Army for fourteen years. She was a reservist in a Civil Affairs Unit that served all over the world during emergencies and war situations. While on active duty, she fell numerous times, injuring her back and knees. She now relies on a cane, […]

“I hope that other people with ALS will see – don’t give up. Don’t just sit in your room and do nothing. You can still live. Just go out there and live.” PVA is sad to announce that Scott Gallen passed away September 26, 2022. U.S. Navy Veteran Scott Gallen had been experiencing unfamiliar symptoms […]

U.S. Army Veteran Michelle Melland began her career as a transportation officer after being commissioned in 1988. She spent four years on active duty, and was stationed for three of those years spent in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where she worked various roles in a battalion that hauled supplies throughout Europe. Later on, she would spend one […]

Jann Vasiloff is the widow of U.S. Marine Corps Veteran George, who passed away from ALS. Jann is the inspiration behind the Justice for ALS Veterans Act, which would make the spouses of Veterans with ALS eligible for the DIC Kicker regardless of how long the Veteran had the disease. Currently, the benefit is only […]

With a career Army father, the United States Army was a natural choice for Cheryl Gerdes. Of her decision to join the military, Gerdes says, “I was steered, pretty much, by my dad; he had done 30 years in the Army. Three wars. He was an Army guy. But, it was also coupled with the […]