We’re observing Lou Gehrig Day on Sunday, June 2nd, 2024.
The year was 1939. Lou Gehrig, star player for the New York Yankees, stood in front of 62,000 fans and delivered one of the most poignant speeches in the history of sports.
“For the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” The Iron Horse held back tears as he addressed the crowd at Yankee Stadium after being forced to retire from baseball two weeks prior due to his fatal diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), now also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
He died two years later, days short of his 38th birthday.
Today, Gehrig remains an inspiration and is a source of strength, humility and courage to many people facing the devastation of an ALS diagnosis.
In early 2021 following grassroots efforts by the ALS community that resulted in support from all Major League Baseball teams, the MLB announced that it will be recognizing Lou Gehrig Day every year on June 2, starting in 2021 – exactly 80 years after his death. It’s a fitting start to ALS Awareness month in Canada each year.
Today, there is still no cure – but there are more therapies than ever in the pipeline and organizations like the ALS Society of Canada and many others that provide services and support, fund research, and advocate for change to the status quo. Read on to learn how you can join us in recognizing Lou Gehrig Day!
