Former NFL running back Chris Johnson reveals 39-year-old ALS diagnosis to News Today
Former NFL running back and three-time Pro Bowl selection Chris Johnson revealed that he lives with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, revealing that he was diagnosed last year when he was 39 years old.
Chris Johnson, who played pro NFL, revealed his ALS diagnosis
Johnson, who enjoyed a distinguished career in the National Football League after being selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, shared details about his diagnosis and ongoing treatment in an interview with “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan that aired Monday.
The former player said his diagnosis came as a complete surprise, noting that there is no known family history of the condition.
“There is no history of ALS in my family,” Johnson said in an interview. “My doctors believe that my case is what is called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases occur.”
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And he added: “That’s one of the reasons why this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it.”
Johnson explained that he was in good physical condition and led an active life with his wife and four children when he first started experiencing symptoms.
“The first thing I noticed was the weakness in my right hand,” he said. “At first it was little things like my grip wasn’t right and I wasn’t as strong as I always was.
His wife, Brittany Johnson, initially believed the symptoms were related to the physical demands of his professional football career, during which he amassed more than 11,000 yards from scrimmage before retiring in 2017.
“I thought because of football and, you know, his career, there had to be something to it,” she told Strahan. “Maybe… a pinched nerve or something along those lines, but never ALS.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements. According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the condition gradually robs patients of their ability to film, speak, swallow and breathe.
While researchers have investigated potential links between ALS and factors including physical trauma and strenuous activity, the cause of most cases remains unknown. There is currently no cure, although treatment can help slow disease progression and improve quality of life.
The NIH reports that most people diagnosed with ALS die of respiratory failure within three to five years of the first symptoms, although about 10 percent of patients survive a decade or more.
Johnson described the moment he received the diagnosis as profoundly life-changing.
He recalled that his doctor informed him that available drugs could only extend his life by a few months and advised him and his family to “get it sorted”.
“Honestly, I don’t know if you ever fully process it,” he said of the diagnosis. “At first you are in shock. Then you realize you have two options. You can give up or you can fight. I chose to fight.”
Johnson said his approach to fighting the disease changed after watching an interview with ABC journalist Diane Sawyer, actor Eric Dane, who died of ALS in February, and neurologist Dr Merit Cudkowicz, a leading ALS researcher.
“After watching Good Morning America and watching Dr. Merit with Eric Dane, we approached her,” Chris Johnson said. “She was willing to think more creatively and offer experimental treatments that could help and advance research.”
He added: “We’ve been with her ever since and that changed the course of our fight.”
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Dr. Cudkowicz, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, said Johnson’s participation in the clinical trial may have helped slow the progression of his disease.
Despite continued treatment, Johnson said the disease is progressing rapidly. He now relies on a speech-generating device that uses a recording of his own voice taken shortly after his diagnosis.
