Former NFL running back Chris Johnson reveals ALS diagnosis at 39

Former NFL running back and three-time Pro Bowl selection Chris Johnson has disclosed that he is living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, revealing that he received the diagnosis last year when he was 39 years old.

Pro NFL played Chris Johnson reveals his ALS diagnosis

Johnson, who enjoyed a distinguished career in the National Football League after being selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, shared details of his diagnosis and ongoing treatment in an interview with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Michael Strahan that aired on Monday.

The former player said his diagnosis came as a complete surprise, noting that there was no known history of the disease in his family.

"There's no history of ALS in my family," Johnson said in the interview. "My doctors believe my case is what's called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen."

He added: "That's one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it."

Johnson explained that he was in good physical condition and leading an active life with his wife and four children when he first began experiencing symptoms.

"I first noticed weakness in my right hand," he said. "At first, it was little things like my grip didn't feel right and I wasn't as strong as I've always been."

His wife, Brittany Johnson, initially believed the symptoms were linked to the physical demands of his professional football career, during which he accumulated more than 11,000 yards from scrimmage before retiring in 2017.

"I thought because of football and, you know, his career, that it had to be something with that," she told Strahan. "Maybe ... a pinched nerve or something along those lines, but never ALS."

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease the attacks nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement. According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the condition gradually robs patients of their ability to movie, speak, swallow, and breathe.

While researchers have explored potential links between ALS and factors including physical trauma and strenous activity, the cause of most cases remains unknown. There is currently no cute, although treatments can help slow disease progression and improve quality of life.

The NIH states that most people diagnosed with ALS dies from respirator failure within three to five years after symptoms first appear, although approximately 10 per cent of patients survive for a decade or longer.

Johnson described the moment he received the diagnosis as profoundly life-altering.

He recalled that his doctor informed him that available medication might extend his life only a few months and advised him and his family to 'get our affairs in order’.

"Honestly, I don't know if you ever fully process it," he 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."

Johnson said his approach to battling the disease changed after he watched an interview featuring ABC news journalist Diane Sawyer, actor Eric Dane, who died from ALS in FEbruary, and neurologist Dr Merit Cudkowicz, a leading ALS researcher.

"After watching 'Good Morning America' and seeing Dr. Merit with Eric Dane, we reached out to her," Chris Johnson said. "She was willing to think more creatively, offering experimental treatments that might help and advance research."

He added: "We've been with her ever since, and that changed the course of our fight."

Dr Cudkowicz, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, said Johnson's participation in a clinical trial may have contributed to slowing the progression of his illness.

Despite ongoing treatment, Johnson said the disease has advanced rapidly. He now relies on a speech-generating devise that uses recording of his own voice made shortly after his diagnosis.