Former NFL star Chris Johnson revealed Monday that he was diagnosed with ALS last year.
In an interview with “Good Morning America,” the 40-year-old Johnson said he has no family history of the disease.
“That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking,” Johnson said through a speech-generating device based on recordings of his voice to speak. “It can happen to someone who never expected it.”
Johnson spent 10 seasons in the NFL, playing for the Tennessee Titans (2008-13), New York Jets (2014) and Arizona Cardinals (2015-17).
In just his second season after being a first-round pick, he rushed for 2,006 yards and earned the nickname CJ2K. He was just the sixth player to ever reached 2,000 yards, a club that now includes nine players. That 2009 season earned Johnson the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award and First Team All-Pro.
“Honestly, I don’t know if you ever fully process it,” Johnson said of the diagnosis. “At first, you’re in shock. Then you realize you have two choices. You can give up, or you can fight. I chose to fight.”
ALS is a nervous system disease that attacks cells in the brain and spine that control muscles throughout the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. The disease leads to muscle weakness and other symptoms that get worse over time, with no known cure. The exact cause of diagnosis is still not known in most people, but it can be inherited from a parent for a small percentage of people.
ALS became known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the star baseball player for the New York Yankees was diagnosed in 1939.
Johnson said he is taking part in a clinical trial as part of his treatment. The first symptom he noticed was when he had a weaker grip.
“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,” Johnson said. “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.”
Throughout his NFL career, Johnson dealt with multiple injuries. His reported ailments included a torn meniscus in 2013, fractured tibia in 2015 and torn groin muscle in 2016.
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