Former NFL star Chris Johnson revealed he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
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In a pre-taped interview with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan, Johnson revealed that he was diagnosed with the noncurable neurogenerative disorder when he was 39 years old.
“I want people to know that I’m still me,” he explained. “ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am.”
The retired athlete explained that he was diagnosed with ALS last year after noticing weakness in his right hand. At the time, Johnson had been working and was in the best shape of his life. He was also spending more time with his wife, Brittany, and their four children.
“At first, it was little things like my grip didn’t feel right,” he recounted. “And I wasn’t as strong as I’d always been.”
Also appearing in the interview, Brittany said she initially thought the symptoms were related to her husband’s time in the NFL. He retired from football in 2018.
“I thought because of football and his career that it has to be something with that,” she pointed out. “Maybe a pinched nerve or something along those lines, but never ALS.”
Following numerous tests, Johnson’s doctors revealed the devastating diagnosis.
“We hoped it was something else, but after the third testing, they finally came down with a diagnosis of ALS,” Johnson continued. “They told us about a medication that might extend life by a few months. Then they told us to get our affairs in order.”
Johnson admitted that it was hard to hear the diagnosis.
Johnson Was Diagnosis With Sporadic ALS
As he continued to speak about the diagnosis, Johnson said his doctors told him that he had sporadic ALS. This notably occurs in patients with no known family history of the disorder.
Sporadic ALS accounts for 90% of cases. Familial ALS, the inherited form of the disorder, accounts for 10% of cases.
“That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking,” Johnson said about sporadic ALS. “It can happen to someone who never expected it.”
Dr. Merritt Cudkowicz, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, previously worked with Grey’s Anatomy alum, Eric Dane, before his death from the disorder earlier this year, and is now working with Johnson. He spoke about the retired NFL star’s participation in a clinical trial focusing on reducing inflammation caused by the disorder.
“Chris has been on standardized care, which is about three different medications a month to slow down the illness,” Cudkowicz noted. “But he was also part of a clinical trial of therapy that decreases inflammation. And I think that helped him a lot.”
The disorder’s rapid progression has already impacted Johnson. He now has to speak using a computer. He added that his family is a huge part of why he keeps going.