Only Fossett is flying solo on the estimated two to three week trip. In addition, three other teams have announced their plans to join the race, including a team who will make their attempt from Australia, ascending to an altitude of 130,000 feet.
ALS is a fatal disease: Most ALS patients die within two to five years of diagnosis. Common causes of death are respiratory failure and/or cardiac problems related to insufficient oxygen. Patients may also suffer respiratory infections, such as pneumonia.
1 Although the life expectancy of a person with ALS averages about two to five years from the time of diagnosis, this disease is variable, and many people can live with the disease for five years and more. While the average survival time is 3 years, about twenty percent of people with ALS live five years, 10 percent will survive ten years and five percent will live 20 years or more. 2  Progression is not always a straight line in an individual either.