Former Titans running back Chris Johnson announces ALS diagnosis at 40

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Chris Johnson was a dominant running back at one point in his NFL career.

He ran for 2,000 yards in his second season with the Tennessee Titans in 2009 on his way to three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. He was named the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year and made the Pro Bowl in 2009 thanks to his statistical prowess that season.

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Johnson, 40, on Monday announced a new and harrowing battle. He said he was diagnosed with ALS.

“T here’s no history of ALS in my family,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “My doctors believe my case is what’s called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen.

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“That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it.”

Chris Johnson running with football during NFL game at Candlestick Park

Johnson said he started to notice a weakness in his right hand and that his grip hadn’t been as strong as it previously was.

“It’s continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined. I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body,” Johnson said. “Just over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she’d make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.”

There is no known cure for ALS – known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It’s a progressive disease in which the brain loses connection with the muscles, according to the ALS Association. The afflicted slowly lose their ability to walk, talk, eat, dress, write, swallow and, eventually, breathe.

Johnson credited his family, including his wife Brittany, with giving him a “reason to keep going.”