Former NFL running back Johnson reveals MND/ALS diagnosis
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- Chris Johnson revealed on ABC's Good Morning America he was diagnosed with ALS/MND last year at age 39 and now requires a voice modulator because the disease has already taken away his ability to speak.
- Johnson told Michael Strahan the disease has progressed "much faster than I ever imagined," saying he can no longer pick up his seven-year-old daughter — something he could do just over a year ago at her birthday.
- Johnson's doctors classified his case as sporadic ALS, the form behind the vast majority of cases and one that strikes without family history, which he said is part of what makes the disease "so shocking."
- The three-time Pro Bowler played 10 NFL seasons across the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, rushing for 9,651 career yards and 55 touchdowns, and led the league with 2,006 yards in 2009 to earn the CJ2K nickname.
- Johnson said he went public with the diagnosis so that if it helps "even one person" get diagnosed sooner or gives another family hope, "then it's worth it," adding: "ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn't changed who I am."
Why it matters: For ALS patients and families, Johnson's case is a stark public demonstration of how quickly sporadic ALS can devastate an otherwise healthy 40-year-old — going from lifting his daughter at her birthday to needing a voice modulator within roughly a year. With 130 NFL games and three Pro Bowls on his résumé, his platform gives the diagnosis unusually broad reach for awareness, though the article cites no treatment or research outcome.
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