Posted on 06/29/2026 7:00:04 AM PDT by DFG
Former NFL star Chris Johnson shockingly revealed Monday that he was diagnosed with ALS last year when he was 39 years old.
Johnson, the former Titans workhorse and one-time Jets running back, shared the news during an appearance on “Good Morning America.”
“There’s no history of ALS in my family,” Johnson, now 40, shared in an interview with Michael Strahan. “My doctors believe my case is what’s called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen.”
“That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking,” he added. “It can happen to someone who never expected it.”
When asked about the diagnosis, Johnson said he would fight through it.
“Honestly, I don’t know if you ever fully process it,” Johnson said. “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 says that his disease reared its ugly head when he was spending time with his wife, Brittany Johnson, and four kids, as he felt his right hand going a bit weaker than normal.
“At first, it was little things like my grip didn’t feel right, and I wasn’t as strong as I’ve always been.”
The Johnson family revealed that they had expected the issue to be related to his lengthy football career, as he was drafted in the first round in 2008 and had a 10-year NFL career after playing throughout his youth.
“I thought because of football and, you know, his career, that it had to be something with that,” Brittany told Strahan. “Maybe … a pinched nerve or something along those lines, but never ALS.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Sorry to hear this news from the sports desk...
Science has made great progress in slowing down ALS. My best friend’s mother had it for over 20 years, most of them not horrible. It might be worse if you get it younger.
Limb-Onset ALS : Life expectancy 3-5 years
Bulbar-Onset ALS : Life expectancy 1-2 years
Respiratory-Onset ALS : Life expectancy less than 1 year
Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) : Life expectancy 10-20+ years
The Influence of Age:
Under 40 at Onset: More than 50% of patients live beyond 5 years, and a significant subset exceeds 10 years.
Over 65 at Onset: Median survival drops to roughly 2 to 3 years.
Over 80 at Onset: Survival is often less than 2 years from diagnosis, with a higher rate of bulbar involvement.
Key Survival Milestones Across All Cases
~50% of all diagnosed individuals survive for more than 3 years.
~20% survive for 5 years or longer.
~10% survive 10 or more years.
A small percentage (5% or less) live for 20 years or longer.
ALS related with head injuries. That’s what we’re seeing.
He went to my Alma mater. East Carolina. So sad to hear. I had a good friend of mine that died of ALS. He was 49. Very sad to watch.
That is what I wondered. Boxing and football are not the safest sports.
As for football players and higher incidences of ALS:
"Professional football players are approximately four times more likely to develop and die from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) than men in the general population.
Study Findings: A comprehensive study of nearly 20,000 NFL players (debuted 1960–2019) published in JAMA Network Open found 38 diagnosed cases and 28 deaths from ALS, with incidence and mortality rates significantly higher than the general male population."
https://www.npr.org/2021/12/16/1064850108/nfl-players-als-study
A dear friend's mother died of ALS - the doctor gave her a timeline of the decline and she hit every horrible milestone. It was a relief when death finally came after 18 months.
Hopefully this loads for you all. It’s an interview of a man with ALS that essentially turned it all around by taking DMSO.
There’s also an EXCELLENT clip from a 1980 60 Minutes interview regarding the incredible benefits of DMSO. This is sulfur which is a mineral. If anyone wants more info, let me know but I can tell you first hand I have received incredible benefits from taking it.
I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.
God bless him.
I watch football, but injuries are so common.
I know of three people that had ALS, 1 female and 2 males. The female worker in my department was in her mid 50s and died a about year after diagnosis. A former male coworker in his mid 60s died about year or so after being diagnosed. A friend’s father supposedly died of about it 20 years ago. There was some debate whether he actually it had since he gradually lost the use of his legs over a decade.
Yes, i would be interested in hearing the benefits you had by taking dmso.
https://www.brighteon.com/31dccb98-1543-4ea8-b684-b788c5e1aa01
Do yourself a favor and watch this.
For me it’s been an incredible change. The inflammation is practically gone which is allowing my thyroid to balance. Mood is way better. Energy way up. My husband said his shoulders haven’t felt this good in 5 years. Same for him on energy. Sleep is excellent.
I take Gold Standard MSM crystals. If you don’t get that one, be sure you get organic, pure crystals (not powder). Start low, like 1/4 tsp on an empty stomach first thing in the am. Then increase over the coming days. I’m not up to 1 TABLESPOON twice a day but it took about 2 weeks to get here. Symptoms can be headache, anxiety and insomnia but they all go away.
Be sure to watch the ALS video and the 60 minutes video or more info, especially about body pain.
I’m UP TO 1 TBLS 2x a day. (sorry for the typo)
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