Chris Johnson, known to many as one of the fastest running backs in NFL history, has been out of the league since 2017. Now 40, the husband and father is channeling the determination that he was celebrated for into a different kind of fight – to raise awareness and show what it looks like to become an active participant in his own healthcare.
In an ABC News exclusive with Michael Strahan that aired on “Good Morning America” on June 29, the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year sat beside his wife, Brittany, who has become his primary caregiver, and revealed that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2025 at age 39.
According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS is a progressive disease of the nervous system. It strips away muscle function and often begins with weakness in an arm or leg, muscle twitching, slurred speech or difficulty swallowing before robbing people of the ability to move, speak and eventually breathe.
For Johnson, there was no family history of the disease. Speaking through a speech-generating device, he told Strahan there was no reason for him to suspect that the weakness in his right hand was a symptom of ALS. His wife figured it might have been a pinched nerve from years of playing football. Even the doctors searched extensively for answers until they arrived at ALS.
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That’s where Johnson’s fight shifted from finding a diagnosis to refusing to accept that he’d exhausted his options. Johnson said doctors suggested a medication that “might extend life by a few months” before telling the family to “get our affairs in order.”
The news was devastating. With Brittany by his side and four children depending on him, he wasn’t ready to accept that his only option was to prepare for the end. Instead, he told Strahan, “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.”
Rather than settling for the standard treatment plan, Johnson said he began his own research. After seeing actor Eric Dane discuss his own ALS diagnosis on Good Morning America, Johnson reached out to Dane’s physician, Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, who ultimately connected him with a clinical trial designed to reduce inflammation.
There is no known cure for ALS, and according to the ALS Association, the average life expectancy after diagnosis is about three years, although many people do live longer.
While the Johnsons acknowledged that denial was their first response, their reality soon shifted to preserving hope, not just for their own family. “If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research or gives another family hope, then it’s worth it,” he said.
Johnson also hopes people understand just how quickly ALS can progress. “Just over a year ago, I was picking up my seven-year-old daughter so she could make a wish with her birthday cake,” he said. “Today, I couldn’t do that,” he added.
He wants people to know that while ALS has changed what his body can do, it hasn’t changed who he is. “Your mind stays sharp. People sometimes look at the physical disability and assume you’re not still the same person inside. My body just doesn’t cooperate,” he told Strahan.
For Black men, Johnson’s story offers another lesson beyond getting to the doctor. Health advocacy doesn’t stop once a diagnosis is made. Asking questions, seeking specialists, exploring clinical trials and refusing to accept that the first conversation is the last one can be just as important as showing up for the first appointment.
For Johnson, hope now comes from the work happening beyond his own diagnosis.
“As long as they’re fighting for people with ALS, I’m going to keep fighting, too,” he said.
