John Driskell Hopkins has offered an update as to his ongoing battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) over a year after being diagnosed.
“Hop” went public with his diagnosis back in May 2022, but has continued to tour with Grammy-winning country music group Zac Brown Band since then. Not only that, but the 52-year-old singer-songwriter has launched a nonprofit, Hop On a Cure, dedicated to funding research and building a community for fellow sufferers of the disease.
Sometimes referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is described by the World Health Organization as a rare neurological disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement.
Currently there is no cure for the disease, and since its progressive, those living with it experience a worsening of their symptoms over time.
Even so, John Driskell Hopkins is refusing to be downbeat about his diagnosis, telling fans that whilst he’s not taking the condition likely, he won’t let it change his life.
As per Fox News, Driskell Hopkins said: “I had one lady ask me … she was diagnosed right around the same time.
“She said, ‘How come you’re not crying all day?’ I’m like, ‘Crying sucks.’ You know, I’ve done my share of crying, and I know I don’t want to.”
The singer added: “And I’m full of s—. I’m always making jokes. I’m not going to make light of this, but I am going to poke fun at it and at my expense.”
Speaking more candidly on his journey since being diagnosed last year, the Zac Brown Band frontman said he’s done his best to “accept it”.
“I want to remember that I’m a songwriter and a musician, but it’s difficult to sit up here and carve away all day when there’s so much going on,” he said.
“But, I’m accepting it. Because I’m doing pretty well, I still feel like one of the new kids on the block. I’m watching other people progress faster around me. I’ve already lost a new friend who was 36 years old … I don’t want to be [with this diagnosis].
“I don’t want to be in this business, but because we are, because we’re forced into it, I’m honored to at least provide some sort of distraction as an entertainer.”
He concluded: “I still don’t know what tomorrow brings. I still don’t know where this will lead, and I still wake up every day grateful that I’m able to put my feet on the floor by myself.”
According to Fox News, the Hop On a Cure foundation, founded by Driskell Hopkins, raised $1 million in its first year, and has big plans for the coming 12 months.
Hop said: “I’m trying to keep a lighthearted attitude, but I certainly don’t want to play that it’s not extremely difficult, especially for people who are dealing with this on a more intensified level.”
We’re sending all our love and support in the direction of John Driskell Hopkins, and indeed all others who are battling ALS and similar conditions the world over.
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