When Kevin Turner, former fullback for the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, was diagnosed last year with ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), he knew very little about it. Turner has learned a lot in the twelve months since then, and has formed a foundation to support research and education related to ALS.
On ProPlayerRadio, host Dave Zirin interviewed Kevin Turner about his diagnosis with ALS, the goals of his foundation, and the journey his life has taken since football.
ALS is short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and is more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Apart from its famous namesake (who was born 108 years ago this weekend – June 19, 1903), most people know little about the disease. Recent research has linked ALS with concussions and repetitive head injuries, but those findings are very recent, published within the last year.
Turner said that three months after he was diagnosed, “I called up [former WWE wrestler] Chris [“Harvard”] Nowinski. I knew they were doing a study. We began talking, and I told him I wanted to be a donor. “
“At the time, I had no reason to think there was any link. He told me that Dr. [Ann] McKee was working on a paper that should be released in a matter of weeks that says that she believes that there’s a link between ALS and head trauma or brain injury.”
The timing was fortuitous, and Dr. McKee’s study brought much attention to the linkage between ALS and head trauma. Her report demonstrated a link between ALS and ALS-like symptoms in athletes with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative disease caused by repeated head injuries that can lead to cognitive decline, abnormal behavior and dementia.
With all the reading he has done since his diagnosis, Turner is convinced where the research points. “I am very confident that head trauma – concussions – play a part in ALS symptoms. Maybe we can get to the point where we can say who may be predisposed to ALS if they have a lot of head trauma.”
He formed the Kevin Turner Foundation with a mission to focus on the disease. He explains that the mission is two parts. “We want to raise money to give to ALS research. They’ve come a long way in the last 20 years. Had I been diagnosed over 10 years ago, there was nothing even in the pipeline that they were working on. Now there are over 20 different drugs that are somewhere in the process that they are trying to get approved.” The second focus of the foundation is on awareness and education.
Turner has faced a string of serious difficulties in the last two years, “I filed for bankruptcy and divorce in October 2009, and then in May 2010 I got this news [diagnosis with ALS]. It was a wakeup call. I’ve never read or heard of someone surviving, much less getting better. There have been people that have lived over 20 years, but those are few and far between.”
The challenges tested him, but his faith helped him find a new purpose in his life.
“Jesus says that in this world there will be trials and tribulations but be of good cheer, for there is something after this. I wanted to make something bright out of something that wasn’t so bright and maybe help somebody else along the way. I really think that that’s what I’m here to do now.”
The Kevin Turner Foundation can be found online at www.kevinturnerfoundation.org.
Fellow college teammate of Kevin’s Mark McMillan is hosting a Celebrity Golf Classic to benefit Kevin Turner on November 22, 2013 in Mesa, Arizona. Click here for more information or contact via email tracey@griffingives.org or by phone at (267) 225-GIVE
