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 life’s 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.
Everyone recognizes that Stephen was Spirit-filled when he was performing wonders. Yet, he was just as Spirit-filled when he was being stoned to death.
I'm looking to no man walking this earth for approval of what I'm doing.
The best protection any woman can have... is courage.
If the deaf are to hear, the sound has to be very loud. When we dropped the bomb, it was not our intention to kill anybody. We have bombed the British Government. The British must quit India and make her free.
This is not a contest between persons. The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. I come to you in defense of a cause as holy as the cause of liberty - the cause of humanity.
White fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves.
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