Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian
Sports and Religion
Chris Johnson: Leaning on Faith to Fight Amid ALS Diagnosis

Chris Johnson: Leaning on Faith to Fight Amid ALS Diagnosis

Last updated on: July 9, 2026 at 10:29 pm by Electi A Deo

0 Comments

Chris Johnson: Leaning on Faith to Fight Amid ALS Diagnosis 2026-07-09T22:29:24-04:00 Electi A Deo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Chris Johnson sitting on a his helmet during a game against the Houston Texans in November 2010.

Chris Johnson is sitting on his helmet during a game against the Houston Texans in November 2010. Photo credit: Aj Guel on November 28, 2010, via Wikimedia Commons.

Chris Johnson Returns to News Headlines

A Heartbreaking Announcement

Chris Johnson is a name National Football League fans are accustomed to seeing in the news headlines. After all, he was a phenomenal running back in the league for over a decade. Unfortunately, his most recent news appearance came with a heartbreaking announcement.

Below, I’ll reveal Chris’s announcement by first highlighting his upbringing and football career. Then I’ll explain the cause of his heartbreak, its history and effects, and how faith sustains Chris daily.

Chris Johnson, A Star from “The Sunshine State”

Chris Johnson’s High School & College Stats

Christopher Duane Johnson was born on September 23, 1985, in Orlando, Florida. There are some discrepancies about the information available online concerning his family background and upbringing.

However, statisticians are sure he began blossoming into a football star at Olympia High School. During his junior year, he ran for over 1,000 yards. During his senior season, he rushed for 800 yards and 8 touchdowns despite missing several games due to a leg injury.

Along with playing football, Chris also excelled at track. He finished in second place in the 100-meter dash at the 2004 Florida Class 4A State Championship meet.

During the meet, he ran a 10.38. He also has a personal best of 21.28, which earned him recognition as a top-25 national runner.

Additionally, he was an anchor during Olympia’s 4×100-meter National Title run.

Though fast on the track, Chris’s passion was football. So he decided to play college football at East Carolina University (ECU). In four seasons with the Pirates, Chris would use the speed he developed through track to acquire the following stats through 47 games

Rushing: 624 attempts, 2,982 yards, 4.8 yards per carry, 63.4 yards per game, 32 touchdowns.
Receiving: 125 catches, 1,296 yards, 10.4 yards per catch, 27.6 yards per game, 10 touchdowns.
Kick Returns: 115 returns, 2,715 yards, 23.6 yards per return, 2 touchdowns.

Chris’s return totals help him rank first in kick returns during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. As a returner, he also ranks 6th in Conference USA history.

Chris Johnson Becomes “CJ2K”

After his time at ECU, Chris was drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. As a running back, Chris played for the Titans, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Jets.

After a ten-year career with 130 games, he has these stats

Rushing: 2,163 attempts, 9, 651 yards, 4.5 yards per attempt, 74.2 yards per game.
Receiving: 307 catches, 2,255 yards, 7.3 yards per catch, 9 touchdowns.

While these are great receiving and rushing totals, Chris’s best season came in 2009. During his second year, he became one of nine players to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

Earning 2,006 yards in 2009 helped him earn the nickname “CJ2K.” He also became the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year, an All-Pro, and a three-time Pro-Bowler.

Chris’s 2009 season helped him receive a $53.5 million contract extension with a $30 million guarantee in 2011.

Chris went on to play seven more seasons after signing the contract extension. Retiring after the 2017 season, Chris focused on being a devoted husband to his wife, Brittany, and a father to his four children.

One way he showed his devotion was by working out daily. He did so to ensure his health wouldn’t interfere with his ability to protect and provide for his family.

Chris Johnson Diagnosed with ALS

Chris Johnson Shares Devastating News

Though committed to physical fitness, Chris couldn’t avoid enduring the trial God placed in his life. So, in 2025, Chris discovers he has ALS.

Job would understand what Chris is experiencing since his devotion to the Lord prompts God to prove his faithfulness. God permits Satan to destroy Job’s home, property, family, and health to validate his sincerity.

Sadly, on June 29, 2026, the world became aware of how God is testing the sincerity of Chris’s Christian faith. Through an interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, Chris uses a speaking device to reveal his ALS diagnosis.

Chris now uses a speaking device because he’s lost the ability to talk. Additionally, he can no longer perform the simplest task alone and must use a feeding tube for nutrition. Instead, he has to rely on his wife and family to meet his every need. Chris’s new reality shows how rapidly ALS can alter one’s ability to function independently.

ALS & Its Effects on the Human Body

But what exactly is ALS, and how does this condition affect the human body? ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease that’s best described by defining the three terms individually.

The term amyotrophic means muscles aren’t gaining nourishment because they stop receiving signals from nerve cells. When the reception ceases, muscles atrophy, becoming stiff and weak.

Stiffness and weakness happen because the lateral part of the spinal cord, where nerve cells are located, is affected. They are affected by sclerosis, which involves the scarring and hardening of degenerating nerve pathways.

As nerve pathways degenerate, they prevent motor neurons from traveling from the brain to the spinal cord to the muscles. Then, as motor neurons die, they hinder the brain’s ability to initiate and control muscle movement.

Without muscle movement, ALS patients lose the ability to

Breathe.
Dress.
Eat.
Move.
Speak.
Write.

Losing skills like writing and breathing means the life expectancy of ALS patients is between two and five years after being diagnosed. What’s worse is that only 20% of patients live more than 60 months, but most cases take years to diagnose. Patients often discover they have ALS through a series of tests.

While the disease goes undiagnosed for some time until patients undergo testing, early signs of ALS include

Fatigue in arms and legs.
Muscle cramping, stiffness, and weakness.
Slurred speech
Tripping.
Trouble holding objects and walking.
Uncontrollable crying or laughing.

Lou Gehrig’s Story

I’m not sure whether Chris experienced uncontrollable laughing or crying before his diagnosis, but there is video evidence of him slurring his speech.

In addition to Chris, there is another athlete who was diagnosed with ALS after experiencing slipping, falling, and losing coordination. His name is Lou Gehrig, a New York Yankees legend.

Before his diagnosis, Lou was known as the “Iron Horse”, earning the name after playing in 2,130 consecutive games. During his career, Lou had 423 home runs and led Major League Baseball (MLB) in career grand slams with 23. Lou held the gland slam record for 75 years from 1938 to 2013.

Sadly, he retired in 1939 after discovering he had ALS. Though saddened by the news, the Yankees honored his career by making him the first MLB player to have his jersey number retired.

Similarly, MLB honored him by making July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day. The league continues to honor his memory today by making June 21 Lou Gehrig’s Day.

The day became official in 2021 and exists to make fans aware of ALS, which many refer to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Chris Johnson & Disability Pride Month

Like Lou, I believe God has divinely orchestrated Chris Johnson’s condition. Of course, I don’t know the specific reason.

However, I do understand that according to Romans 8:28 (NKJV), “all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” Considering the timing of Chris’s announcement, maybe God is using his life to bring more attention to ALS.

After his public reveal, Chris’s friends and fans revived the Ice Bucket Challenge. The challenge was started by Anthony Senechia, Pete Frates, and Pat Quinn in 2014 to bring awareness to ALS.

They achieved their goal as 17 million participants posted videos online dumping ice water on their heads and challenging their friends to participate. Their creative approach helped raise $15 million for ALS treatments and to discover a cure.

Along with reviving awareness for ALS, I believe God may also be using Chris Johnson’s announcement to highlight those with disabilities. After all, July is Disability Pride Month.

Seeing someone of Chris’s stature suffer from a physically debilitating condition is a sobering reminder to be thankful for good health. It’s also a reminder to cherish those coworkers, friends, neighbors, and relatives who are disabled. We can cherish them by assisting with tasks and advocating for needs and resources that improve their quality of life.

Lastly, we can show respect by magnifying their uniqueness rather than exalting their deficiencies. Doing so respects their identity and prevents ableism.

Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

Interceding for Chris Johnson & Other ALS Patients

That said, the best way we can assist those enduring ALS and other disabilities is by remembering them in prayer.

So, Lord, I come to you now praying for Chris Johnson and other ALS patients. First, I want to thank you for their lives and how you use them for your glory.

I acknowledge that you are sovereign and good even when your cause plan causes us to suffer. For Chris and many others, suffering means substantial changes in their health and physical condition.

Lord, help them adjust to the challenges and difficulties that come from this type of trial. Thank you that these trials have a purpose and contain promises that help them endure challenges we think are unbearable.

Lord, when challenges feel unbearable, forgive them for the times they’re tempted to doubt, complain, quit, or question you. Help them learn how to suffer well and be content, trusting that you will purify and be glorified through their trials.

Praying for Supporters & Prolonged Life

Furthermore, I ask that you would forgive their supporters when we act like Job’s wife and friends. Help us not to wonder whether human flaws are responsible for their condition, but to turn our hearts to you. Empower us with the faith to carry them to you as the men do for the lame man in Luke 5:17-26.

Lord, help us remember you’re able to heal and deliver if you choose. If not, strengthen ALS patients amid their weaknesses. Protect their minds with perfect peace as they’re still mentally sharp, even though their bodies are suffering affliction.

In affliction, give Chris Johnson and others the faith to turn their face to the wall and pray like Hezekiah, knowing you can extend their lives. Help them declare Psalm 118:17 and Psalm 118:24 so they have motivation to keep living.

Also, grant medical researchers the wisdom to find cures and prolong lives. Help them use the donations and other resources wisely so that ALS is no longer a tragic diagnosis.

Thank you for all those working hard to conquer ALS and other disabilities. Thank you that health challenges can become rallying cries that unify people as they fight to overcome.

Lastly, thank you that our ultimate victory comes in you being our God, who promises us eternal wholeness in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen!

Thank You!

Thank you for reading the latest article from the Electi A Deo Experience! Feel free to comment on the article and share it with someone you know. Be blessed and have a great day!

Sports and Religion

Health, Fitness and Religion

Health and Religion

Sports and Religion

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Chris Johnson

Disability Pride Month

Lou Gehrig

Romans 8:28

Tennessee Titans

Previous Post

July 2, 2026

World Chocolate Day: Celebrating a Popular Sweet Treat