NFL Star Reveals Shocking ALS Diagnosis at 39

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Former NFL running back Chris Johnson has revealed he was diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disease ALS. The three-time Pro Bowler, 40, told Michael Strahan on Good Morning America that the diagnosis came last year, when he was 39, while he was still training every day and raising four children with his wife.

Johnson, whom the Titans drafted 24th overall in 2008, rushed for more than 11,000 yards from scrimmage before stepping away from football in 2017.

It started as a weakening grip in his right hand.

It has since progressed so quickly that Johnson now communicates through a speech-generating device, recorded after his diagnosis to mimic his own voice. “It’s continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined,” he said. “Just over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she’d make a wish with her birthday cake.

Today, I couldn’t do that.” Johnson and his wife, Brittany, say they are sharing their journey to drive more research into the disease.

https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/former-nfl-star-chris-johnson-reveals-als-diagnosis/story?id=134255671">Read it at ABC News

https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-nfl-star-running-back-chris-johnson-of-tennessee-titans-reveals-als-diagnosis-at-39/">Read more at The Daily Beast.