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Apr 21, 2009 · Stephen Hawking is a rare case of someone who has survived decades with ALS ALS affects 350,000 people worldwide and as many as 30,000 people in the U.S. Symptoms vary from person to person; some ...
Mar 15, 2018 · SEE ALSO: Stephen Hawking died on Einstein's birthday because everything in the cosmos is connected. And Hawking, who was diagnosed with a nervous system disease known as amyotrophic lateral ...
- Overview
- 'Mental attitude makes a difference'
Stephen Hawking, who died Wednesday at the age of 76, had lived with the crippling disease ALS for 55 years. How did he do it?
Probably in no small part because he was rich, famous and extremely well cared for, experts said.
Hawking was one of the best-known scientists of modern times, as famous for his motorized wheelchair and computer-generated voice as he was for his user-friendly explanations of esoteric physics and cosmology.
His intellectual strengths were the stuff of awe, but so was his ability to lead not simply a normal life, but an extraordinary one, while suffering with a tremendously debilitating condition.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS is one of several types of motor neurone diseases. It gradually and inexorably paralyzes patients, usually killing within about four years.
Hawking was diagnosed in 1963, when he was just 21 years old. He survived for 55 years with the incurable condition.
Hawking’s needs took a toll on his marriages. He divorced his first wife, Jane Wilde, after 30 years and she’s written about the challenges of being married to such a single-minded man in need of so much attention —medical and otherwise.
He married one of his nurses, Elaine Mason, in 1995, and they later divorced in 2006.
Could Hawking’s devotion to his career have helped keep him alive? “Mental attitude makes a difference, for sure,” Elliott said.
Hawking said so, also.
“When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are a lot of things you want to do,” Hawking was quoted often as saying.
There is no cure for ALS, although two drugs are approved to help treat some of its symptoms. Patients progressively lose the use of their muscles, often becoming completely paralyzed except for their eyes.
- Senior Health Writer
Jan 7, 2012 · Stephen Hawking turns 70 on Sunday, beating the odds of a daunting diagnosis by nearly half a century. The famous theoretical physicist has helped to bring his ideas about black holes and quantum ...
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Stephen Hawking was as renowned for his lifetime battle with ALS (or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) as for his cosmic genius and theory on black holes. Because of his success and visibility, the brilliant, wheelchair-bound physicist, who died March 14 at age 76, became an unwitting symbol for living productively with a debilitating disease.
Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau ...
