--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic…" description: "\"I have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It's a terminal disease with an average lifespan of two to five years post-diagnosis, a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/steve-gleason-23814_age-life_i-have-been-diagnosed-with-amyotrophic-l_710220.jpg" --- # I have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis… ![“I have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It's a terminal disease with an average lifespan of two to five years post-diagnosis, and scientists don't know what causes it. ALS prevents your brain from talking to your muscles. As a result, muscles die. As a result, every 90…” quote by Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/steve-gleason-23814_age-life_i-have-been-diagnosed-with-amyotrophic-l_710220.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/steve-gleason-23814_age-life_i-have-been-diagnosed-with-amyotrophic-l_710220.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/steve-gleason-23814_age-life_i-have-been-diagnosed-with-amyotrophic-l_710220.jpg) > “I have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It's a terminal disease with an average lifespan of two to five years post-diagnosis, and scientists don't know what causes it. ALS prevents your brain from talking to your muscles. As a result, muscles die. As a result, every 90 minutes people die. I am a person.” [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. ALS illustrates how a devastating illness can coexist with personal identity and resilience, prompting focus on meaning beyond physical decline. **In simple terms:** A serious disease challenges but does not define a person. Key Takeaway Find purpose despite limitations. Themes illness resilience identity Mood determined hopeful Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - advocacy - public speaking - support groups - personal memoirs Key Concepts neurodegeneration mortality human spirit Questions to Reflect On - How does your identity persist beyond your body? - What legacy do you wish to leave? A Different Perspective Physical decline can limit actions, but mental strength can still grow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-life/) [Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/als/) [Als Prevents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/als-prevents-5603398/) [Amyotrophic Lateral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amyotrophic-lateral-1730397/) [Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Causes Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-als-5603397/) [Diagnosis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diagnosis/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [Lateral Sclerosis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lateral-sclerosis-1730398/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Muscles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muscles/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Sclerosis Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sclerosis-als-1730396/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Terminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terminal/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“Morrie had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's disease, a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system. There was no known cure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/morrie-had-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als-lou-gehrig-s-disease-a/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive, highly morbid, debilitating neurological disease that attacks the neurons responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-fisher/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als-often-referred-to-as-lou-gehrig-s/) [Howard W. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-fisher/) > [I have Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It has crippled my body and speech, but not my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-becker/i-have-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-it-has-crippled-my-body-and/) [Jason Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-becker/) > [“ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but she has replaced that with her own version-Always live strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/durjoy-datta/als-stands-for-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-but-she-has-replaced/) [Durjoy Datta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/durjoy-datta/) > [A terminal diagnosis can really mess with your head. Honestly, it makes you want to run away to the moon. Many ALS patients want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/a-terminal-diagnosis-can-really-mess-with-your-head-honestly-it-makes/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [From personal experience, I completely agree that it is often easier to go for monotone sadness. When I was starting out, I wrote a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/from-personal-experience-i-completely-agree-that-it-is-often-easier/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [There is never finality in the display terminal's screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-never-finality-in-the-display-terminal-s-screen-but-an/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [But we have gone so far in the direction of over treating terminal patients that we've failed to recognize when we're doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-fink/but-we-have-gone-so-far-in-the-direction-of-over-treating-terminal/) [Sheri Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-fink/) > [Like the experience of warfare, the endurance of grave or terminal illness involves long periods of tedium and anxiety, punctuated by briefer interludes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/like-the-experience-of-warfare-the-endurance-of-grave-or-terminal/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Do I wither up and disappear, or do I make the best of my time left?.. He would not wither. He would not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/do-i-wither-up-and-disappear-or-do-i-make-the-best-of-my-time-left-he/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Beware the short terminal guy with nothing to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/beware-the-short-terminal-guy-with-nothing-to-lose/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) > [A reality that is electronic... Once everybody's got a computer terminal in their home, to satisfy all their needs, all the domestic needs, there'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/a-reality-that-is-electronic-once-everybody-s-got-a-computer-terminal/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [You can, I think, have a quiet and steady protagonist and not run the risk of terminal dullness as long as exciting things happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/you-can-i-think-have-a-quiet-and-steady-protagonist-and-not-run-the/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [Treating only terminal cancer patients, the Rand (anti-cancer) vaccine produced objective improvement in 35% of 600 patients while another 30% demonstrated subjective improvement. FDA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lynes/treating-only-terminal-cancer-patients-the-rand-anti-cancer-vaccine/) [Barry Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lynes/) > [“By the time the plan's wheels touched down on a desolate stretch of desert runway, the sun had cleared a ridge of mountains and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/by-the-time-the-plan-s-wheels-touched-down-on-a-desolate-stretch-of/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) ## More by Steve Gleason > [I think about death all the time. I think that's a good thing because we're all going to die, and the only thing we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/i-think-about-death-all-the-time-i-think-that-s-a-good-thing-because/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [I have moments where I miss my old self. But I think anyone can get caught up in what we used to have. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/i-have-moments-where-i-miss-my-old-self-but-i-think-anyone-can-get/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [Typing with your fingers or thumbs is sooooo 2012. I tweeted that earlier in the year. I type with my eyes. Not only that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/typing-with-your-fingers-or-thumbs-is-sooooo-2012-i-tweeted-that/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [I believe happiness is a choice. Some days it is a very difficult choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/i-believe-happiness-is-a-choice-some-days-it-is-a-very-difficult/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [I'm afraid to walk in public, because people look at me. But I'm not going to stop. I'm afraid because if I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/i-m-afraid-to-walk-in-public-because-people-look-at-me-but-i-m-not/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [I look at the human life like an experiment. Every new moment, every new experience, tragic or otherwise, is an opportunity to gain a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/i-look-at-the-human-life-like-an-experiment-every-new-moment-every/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [Through adversity we find our heroes...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/through-adversity-we-find-our-heroes/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [We all have a timeline. Most of us don't live like we have a timeline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/we-all-have-a-timeline-most-of-us-don-t-live-like-we-have-a-timeline/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [If we have a purpose in life beyond being a cog in the human machine, mine is to help inspire people and that's pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/if-we-have-a-purpose-in-life-beyond-being-a-cog-in-the-human-machine/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [The increased rate of brain disease in the NFL population is caused by the way the game is played within the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/the-increased-rate-of-brain-disease-in-the-nfl-population-is-caused/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [To cure ALS medically is not economical. The realities are that it's difficult to find funding for research for a medical cure. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/to-cure-als-medically-is-not-economical-the-realities-are-that-it-s/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [To have a statue of you up 100 years from now at the Superdome, I think that's amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/to-have-a-statue-of-you-up-100-years-from-now-at-the-superdome-i/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [Many ALS patients end up fading away quietly and dying. For me, this was not OK. I did not want to fade away quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/many-als-patients-end-up-fading-away-quietly-and-dying-for-me-this/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [The film 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,' based the book of the same name, has a line that enlightens and comforts me. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/the-film-the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly-based-the-book-of-the-same/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [We have all made mistakes in this life. How we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/we-have-all-made-mistakes-in-this-life-how-we-learn-from-our-mistakes/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) [Explore all 25 Steve Gleason quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) ## More Age life quotes > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Iam a teenage girl, I love, get my heart broken, break heart, parrty, sleep like there's no tommorow, ake mistakes, tears, get into fight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/iam-a-teenage-girl-i-love-get-my-heart-broken-break-heart-parrty/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Were anyone wondering how Sen. Harry Reid intended to manage life in the minority, it took one day of the 114th Congress to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberley-strassel/were-anyone-wondering-how-sen-harry-reid-intended-to-manage-life-in/) [Kimberley Strassel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberley-strassel/) > [Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death during the last half-century. The trend is getting even worse as the average life span increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasuku-honjo/cancer-has-been-the-no-1-cause-of-death-during-the-last-half-century/) [Tasuku Honjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasuku-honjo/) > [“sixty-seven years.14 Not anymore. Today the final three Ds in our chain reaction can disassemble companies and disrupt industries almost overnight, reducing the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-diamandis/sixty-seven-years-14-not-anymore-today-the-final-three-ds-in-our/) [Peter H. 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The reaper struck with fire and drowning; typhus, malaria, yellow fever, and a host of other diseases;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-weisberg/death-was-a-constant-fact-of-life-the-reaper-struck-with-fire-and/) [Barbara Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-weisberg/) > [“In an average lifetime, a heart pumps about one million barrels of blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-kellett/in-an-average-lifetime-a-heart-pumps-about-one-million-barrels-of/) [Jenny Kellett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-kellett/) > [“By not burning their poppy fields to the ground but instead maintaining a security umbrella that international development agencies could safely work under as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/by-not-burning-their-poppy-fields-to-the-ground-but-instead/) [Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/) > [When you get to my age life seems little more than one long march to and from the lavatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-benson/when-you-get-to-my-age-life-seems-little-more-than-one-long-march-to/) [A. 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When I moved to England, it was '75, and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-cornejo/my-aunt-made-stuff-my-mom-was-creative-so-i-was-surrounded-by-that/) [Maria Cornejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-cornejo/) > [Everything you now do is something you have chosen to do. Some people don't want to believe that. But if you're over age twenty-one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/everything-you-now-do-is-something-you-have-chosen-to-do-some-people/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) [Browse all 175 Age life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It's a terminal disease with an average lifespan of two to five years post-diagnosis, and scientists don't know what causes it. ALS prevents your brain from talking to your muscles. As a result, muscles die. 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