Former NFL running back Chris Johnson revealed the difficult realities of his life after being diagnosed with ALS last year at the age of 39. 

“I want people to know that I’m still me,” Johnson, now 40, said Monday, June 29, on Good Morning America. “ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am.”

The three-time Pro Bowler now uses his eyes to trigger a speech-generating device. 

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

Chris and his wife, Brittany, share four children, who the former NFL star pointed to as inspiration to continue fighting. 

“My kids are also a huge part of why I keep going,” he said. “Every day I wake up wanting more time with them, to make more memories and just be their dad. They give me a reason to keep fighting.”

Chris, who retired from the NFL in 2017, said he started to think something was wrong when he “noticed weakness in my right hand.”

“At first there was little things, like my rib didn’t feel right and I wasn’t as strong as I’ve always been,” he added. 

Chris credited his wife for being a pillar of support, saying, “She hasn’t left my side through any of this.”

“All I could think about was our kids and how young they are,” Brittany said on Good Morning America. “You’re in denial. You want it to be anything else. You want the doctors to be wrong. The life that we previously had is now a thing of the past. But we’re still hopeful. We’re hopeful that a breakthrough will happen, or that a miracle will happen.”

She added, “It’s tough. We have good days, we have bad days. Our life has shifted so much and it’s a heavy workload. But I have no doubt that this is what I was called to do.”

Chris admitted that he might never “fully process” his diagnosis as he continues to seek out potential treatments. 

“At first, you’re in shock,” Chris recalled. “Then you realize you have two choices: you can give up or you can fight. I chose to fight.”

He added, “If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research or gives another family hope, then it’s worth it.”

Chris played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.