Musician John Driskell Hopkins, who plays bass in the Zac Brown Band, has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.“I have tough news to share,” Hopkins, 51, said in a Friday, May 20, Instagram video, standing beside his bandmates. “Over the past several years, I’ve noticed some balance issues and some stiffness in my hands.”He continued: “After careful analysis by some of the country’s top neurologists, I’ve been diagnosed with ALS.
Because my symptoms have been slow-progressing from the start, we believe they will continue to be slow progressing going forward.
God willing, I plan to be rocking with these amazing people for many years to come.”The Texas native, a founding member of the country band, has since launched the Hop on a Cure foundation to help search for a cure.“The technology and research around ALS treatments has been advancing, but we still don’t have a cure.
Thanks so much for your prayers and helping us cure ALS,” lead singer Zac Brown explained in the Friday social media video.According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.
Read more on usmagazine.com