Chris Johnson Writes Letter to His Kids on ALS Diagnosis, 'Biggest Reason I Keep Fighting'

Former NFL running back Chris Johnson penned a letter in The Players' Tribune to his children as he continues his fight with ALS.

He called his four kids "my biggest reason I keep fighting."

"All four of y'all, promise me you'll always stick together," Johnson said. "Love each other. Hold each other down. Life is going to change in ways none of us can predict, but don't ever let it change that.

"I believe in you guys. You each have unique talents and skills that you're gonna share with the world one day. I know it. I have big dreams for you. The same dreams that I think every father dreams about…… watching my kids graduate, walking my daughter down the aisle one day, seeing my boys become men, meeting my grandkids, and growing old with Brittany. And hopefully, God will make a way."

Johnson also recounted the process of his ALS diagnosis. He said he had been experiencing some weakness in his right arm, which prompted him to seek medical guidance. A doctor performed a nerve conduction study, and the eventual results pointed to the severity of his situation.

"I got on the plane and flew back home to you guys in Orlando, and I took a car straight to Honey Buns' school. That was the night of the play," he said. "The timing of it all was crazy. In my head I was so scared, but at the same time I still had to be your dad. When I saw Britt, we just kind of looked at each other. We took pictures that night, and looking back at them, you can just see the fear in both our eyes. I'll never forget sitting next to her in the auditorium just thinking about the unknown while Honey Buns was up on the stage."

Johnson first divulged his diagnosis in a June interview with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan. He said he wanted to come forward so people can understand how quickly ALS can progress.

"Just over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she'd make a wish with her birthday cake," he told Strahan. "Today, I couldn't do that."

In his letter, Johnson credited his children with helping to maintain a sense of normalcy amid such difficult circumstances.

"Y'all are my biggest blessing," he said. "And right now, you know what part of that blessing I'm appreciating the most? I love that you still joke on me and mess with me, and laugh and smile and just act like everything is completely normal. Like everything's gonna be OK. It's crazy, in those small moments, I can forget everything else that's going on, because I swear it's like you don't even see ALS. 

"You just see me."

Johnson played 10 years in the NFL and was a three-time Pro Bowler. He's one of nine players who ran for 2,000 yards in a single season.