Chris Johnson says his body has changed fast, but not who he is. The former NFL running back, a three-time Pro Bowler who piled up more than 11,000 yards before retiring in 2017, has disclosed that he was diagnosed last year with ALS at age 39. "There's no history of ALS in my family," he told Michael Strahan on Good Morning America in an interview that aired Monday. "My doctors believe my case is what's called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen." The progressive neurological disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, gradually robs people of the ability to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe.
Johnson said his first clue was weakness in his right hand, which he and his wife, Brittany, initially chalked up to football wear and tear, ABC News reports. The diagnosis, Johnson said, came with a warning that medication might only give him a few extra months and he should get his affairs in order. "At first, you're in shock," he said. "Then you realize you have two choices. You can give up, or you can fight. I chose to fight." He sought out Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, a leading ALS researcher, and has since undergone standard treatments plus a clinical trial that targets inflammation.
The disease has still advanced quickly: Johnson now relies on a speech-generating device that uses his prerecorded voice and says he can no longer lift his youngest child. Johnson and his wife are going public to push for earlier detection, more research, and better therapies. An ALS research effort has been launched in his name at the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS.
- "I want people to know that I'm still me. ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn't changed who I am," he told Strahan. "People sometimes look at the physical disability and assume you're not still the same person inside. I still think the same. I still dream. I still love my family. My body just doesn't cooperate."
- Johnson played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals. Messages of support poured in after he disclosed the diagnosis, ESPN reports. In a statement, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk promised that the team would support him "every step of the way," saying his "leadership on the field, in addition to his impact in the locker room and Nashville community have written him permanently into the story of this franchise."
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