NFL legend Tim Green talks about his ALS journey
“Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade visited Green’s home in New York to discuss his diagnosis, his faith, technology to use his own voice, raising money for a cure and the new book “Rocket Arm.”
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Chris Johnson was a dominant running back at one point in his NFL career.
He rushed for 2,000 yards in his second season with the Tennessee Titans in 2009, en route to three straight Pro Bowl appearances. He was named the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year and made the Pro Bowl in 2009 thanks to his statistical prowess that season.
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Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas November 28, 2010. The Texans defeated the Titans 20-0. (Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)
Johnson, 40, announced a new and painful battle on Monday. He said he was diagnosed with ALS.
“There is no history of ALS in my family,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “My doctors believe my case is what is called sporadic ALS, which is actually the vast majority of ALS cases.
FORMER FALCONS STAR TIM GREEN REFUSES TO LET ALS SILENCE HIM AS FATHER-SON PODCAST CREATES LASTING LEGACY
“That’s one of the reasons why this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who wasn’t expecting it.”
Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson breaks free for a long run against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California on November 8, 2009. The Titans defeated the 49ers 34-27. (Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports)
Johnson said he began to notice weakness in his right hand and his grip was not as strong as before.
“It continued to progress much faster than I would have imagined. I want people to understand how quickly ALS can attack your body,” Johnson said. “A little over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter to make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.”
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There is no known cure for ALS – known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is a progressive disease in which the brain loses connection with the muscles, according to the ALS Association. Affected people gradually lose their ability to walk, talk, eat, dress, write, swallow and, eventually, breathe.
Johnson credited his family, including his wife Brittany, with giving him a “reason to keep going.”
Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson faces the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 28, 2010. (Sam Sharpe/USA TODAY Sports)
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The former running back played in the NFL from 2008 to 2017 with the Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.
