Former Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson has publicly revealed his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, it destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle actions.
As these nerve cells deteriorate, they can no longer send messages to the muscles. As a result, muscles weaken, contract, atrophy and ultimately deprive one of the abilities to move, speak, swallow and even breathe.
The 39-year-old revealed his diagnosis in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” which aired on Monday, June 29.
While speaking through a speech-generating device based on recordings of his voice, he said: “There is no history of ALS in my family. My doctors believe my case is what is called sporadic ALS, which is actually the cause of the vast majority of ALS cases.”
“That’s one of the reasons why this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who wasn’t expecting it,” he added.
The former running back, whose title “CJ2K” was coined because of the 2,006 yards he racked up in 2009, the seventh-most yards gained in a season in NFL history, revealed his problems began when he noticed he had a weak grip.
Speaking about the rapid progression of the disease, he said: “A little over a year ago, I was going to pick up my 7-year-old daughter so she could make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.”
Early symptoms of the disease include limb weakness, problems with motor control, and unexplained muscle cramps. slurred speech, difficulty projecting voice, and minor difficulty swallowing. Over time, the patient experiences severe difficulty chewing, swallowing and speaking clearly. Excessive drooling is also common.
The disease currently has no known cure.
