Towards the end of the movie when Kate is in the advanced stages of ALS, she is shown sitting upright in her wheelchair and speaking in a labored fashion. Patients in this condition are unable to sit upright because the muscles in their backs are no longer receiving signals from the brain. The same is true of the muscles in the throat and jaw making speech impossible.
When they are in the pool, Marilyn asks Kate if she has a spinal cord injury. ALS is a disease of motor neurons, not due to a spinal cord injury. People with ALS (PALS) continue to feel all sensation, unlike someone with a spinal cord injury.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
