from the M Health Lab Blog by Daniel Ellman
In June 2018, Matt Sirianni began losing some motor functions and found himself struggling to walk. It seemed odd for the otherwise healthy adult in his late 40s.
Yet a full year of neurological infusion treatments at Michigan Medicine turned out to be ineffective, and Matt was eventually referred to the organization’s Pranger ALS Clinic.
ALS — which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease — is a progressive disease that weakens muscles and impacts physical function. It is typically terminal.
“Getting such a diagnosis can be frightening, but all I know is that when we got to the clinic, everyone was so supportive and spent so much time giving us information and making us feel comfortable,” Matt said.
The clinic is where Matt met his pulmonologist, Philip Choi, M.D. It served as the beginning of a patient-physician relationship that changed Matt’s life forever.