LIFE Center for Independent Living

05/15/2026

May 15 is the International Day of Families.

This day is to celebrate the importance of families and raise awareness of the issues they face around the globe.

As Grace Howarth states, "Whatever form your family may take, from biological to those you choose to play a major part in your life, your nearest and dearest deserve to be celebrated."

You could celebrate by spending quality time with those you are close to and connect with extended family members with a phone call or video chat to catch up and share stories.

You can find this and learn more about the International Day of Families at

Whatever form your family may take, from biological to those you choose to play a major part in your life, your nearest and dearest deserve to be celebrated. International Day…

05/14/2026

Great day advocating at the State Capitol today! LIFE CIL staff and consumers met with elected officials and with colleagues from all over the state also there for INCIL advocacy day!

05/14/2026

Today is Apraxia Awareness Day.

Apraxia of Speech (AOS) is a speech sound disorder. A person with AOS has difficulty saying words clearly and correctly, even though they know what they want to say. AOS happens because the brain has trouble planning and coordinating the mouth movements needed for speech. The muscles are not weak—the brain just cannot send the right movement instructions in the correct order.

Learn more about Apraxia of Speech by visiting the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicaito Disorders website:

Apraxia of speech (AOS)—also known as acquired apraxia of speech, verbal apraxia, or childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) when diagnosed in children—is a speech sound disorder. Someone with AOS has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently.

05/14/2026

May is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month, better known as ALS Awareness Month.

ALS is a progressive disease in which a person’s brain loses connection with the muscles, slowly taking away their ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually breathe. Although there is still no cure or treatment that halts progression, new treatments are helping to slow and ease symptoms.

ALS describes how the disease affects the body:

Amyotrophic comes from Greek words meaning “no muscle nourishment.” When muscles no longer receive signals from nerve cells, they weaken and shrink—a process called atrophy.

Lateral refers to the areas of the spinal cord where nerve cells that control movement are located.

Sclerosis means scarring or hardening, which occurs as these nerve pathways degenerate.

A few facts about ALS:
* Diagnosis can take months or even years
* Every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS and someone passes away from it
* 10% of cases are inherited through a mutated gene, the other 90% of cases have no known family history or genetic cause
* $250,000 is the estimated annual out-of-pocet cost for care
* Average life expectancy is 2-5 years

All of this and more can be found at

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure for ALS yet.

05/13/2026

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.

There is no cure for asthma or allergies.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, more than 106 million people in the United States have asthma and/or allergies.

* 28 million people with asthma - 8 out of 100 people
* 22 millon people with food allergies - 6 out of 100 people
* 82 million people with nasal allergies - 1 out of 4 people

This and more can be found at

Each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) declares May to be "National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month." Share facts, your personal story, become an advocate, or join an event hosted by AAFA.

05/12/2026

Today is also Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.

Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that involves widespread body pain. The pain happens along with fatigue. It also can involve issues with sleep, memory and mood. Researchers think that fibromyalgia affects the way the brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals. That increases your overall sensitivity to pain.

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

Widespread pain. Fibromyalgia pain often is described as a constant dull ache that has lasted for at least three months. The pain is considered widespread if it happens on both sides of the body and above and below the waist.

Fatigue. People with fibromyalgia often wake up tired, even though they say they sleep for a long time. Often, the pain disrupts sleep. Many people with fibromyalgia have other sleep disorders. These include restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea.

Thinking-related troubles. A symptom known as "fibro fog" makes it harder to pay attention and focus on mental tasks.

All of this and more can be found on Mayo Clinic's website:

This condition affects the way the brain processes pain signals. It can cause widespread pain, fatigue and other symptoms. Learn what treatments can help.

05/12/2026

May 12 is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Awareness Day.

ME/CFS is a serious and often long-lasting illness that keeps people from doing their usual activities. It makes physical and mental exertion difficult. Symptoms include trouble thinking, severe tiredness and other symptoms. There is no known cause or cure. Care usually means treating the systems that most affect a person's life.

Learn more on the CDC website:

ME/CFS is a debilitating disease that affects millions of people in the United States.

05/11/2026

The last of Wheelchair Basketball 2026 photos that Mark from Your Inspiring Moments took for us! Thank you, Mark!

05/11/2026

More Wheelchair Basketball 2026 photos from Mark at Your Inspiring Moments

05/11/2026

Part of the photos from Wheelchair Basketball 2026 - a big thank you to Mark with Your Inspiring Moments!