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.
Interpretation
This quote encapsulates the struggle of living with ALS and emphasizes the awareness of mortality and human experience.
Steve Gleason's quote reflects the harsh reality of living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a debilitating illness that robs individuals of their physical capabilities while heightening their awareness of lifeβs fragility. By stating, 'I am a person,' Gleason reinforces the importance of humanity and individuality in the face of a terminal diagnosis, inviting others to recognize the profound impact of this disease on both the individual and their loved ones.
In practice
In a motivational speech about resilience, one could quote this to emphasize the strength in facing adversity.
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 commune with my friend Shad (Meier), I have to ask him to cut my chicken for me. But I did it. And I'm afraid to go back and see my teammates and coaches because I know that I'll feel envy. But I'm going to do it anyway. Because fear is just a feeling, and if you can acknowledge that fear, digest that fear and overcome it, the rewards are incredible.
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 can control is how we are and what we're doing in the meantime.
We have all made mistakes in this life. How we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are.
Through adversity we find our heroes.
As soon as we left the ground, I knew I had to fly.
It is easy to be disgruntled if you are denied rights and freedoms to which you feel entitled. But if you are not coherent, if you cannot put into words what it is that displeases you and why it is unfair and should change, then you are dismissed as an unreasonable whiner. You may be lectured about perseverance and patience, life as a test, the need to accept the higher wisdom of others.
Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.
Courage to be is the key to revelatory power of the feminist revolution.
I don't fight fascists because I'll win. I fight fascists because they are fascists.
Every single time I get on the mat, every tournament, I get to see what I'm made of, how tough I am, where my desire is, and how hard I've worked.
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