Zac Brown Band's John Driskell Hopkins Reveals ALS Diagnosis

justjared.com:

John Driskell Hopkins is sharing an update about his health. On Friday (May 20), the 51-year-old musician appeared alongside his Zac Brown Band bandmates in a video posted to their official social media channels. John began by saying he had “tough news to share” and that he had his “brothers and sisters” there to support him. Click inside to read more… “Over the past several years, I’ve noticed some balance issues and some stiffness in my hands.

After careful analysis by some of the country’s top neurologists, I have been diagnosed with ALS. Because my symptoms have been slow progressing form 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,” he explained. The Mayo Clinic describes ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, as a disease in the nervous system that affects nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain, which leads to a loss of muscle control. Zac Brown thanked those who had shown their support and added, “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.” The group also shared a phone number fans can use to donate, with the funds going towards ALS research.