Zac Brown Band founding member sings National Anthem at Diamondbacks game in hopes of raising ALS awareness
Founding member of Zac Brown Band sings National Anthem at Arizona Diamondbacks game
51-year-old John Driskell Hopkins sang the National Anthem at Chase Field on May 30 as part of his efforts to raise awareness about ALS. The singer was diagnosed with the illness, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, and went public with the diagnosis in May.
PHOENIX - One of the founding members of the Zac Brown Band sang the National Anthem at the Arizona Diamondbacks game on May 30.
51-year-old John Driskell Hopkins was recently diagnosed with ALS, and he hopes to raise awareness about the illness.
"Going forward will be difficult for me. I have been diagnosed with ALS, and I have a very slow progressive form of that," said Hopkins. "I am starting to notice a little slur of that, and my digits aren't as quick as they should be, and I am praying for a slow progressio.nPperhaps one that can stall."
What is ALS?
According to the Mayo Clinic website, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS, is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.
The disease, according to the website, is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, after a baseball player who was diagnosed with it. Doctors do not usually know why ALS occurs.
Hopkins said over the past several years, he has noticed balance issues and stiffness. He announced his diagnosis in May.
Hopkins started organization to help find cure
Hopkins said his work is far from done, as there is no cure for ALS yet. That is why he has founded hop on a cure -- to help in that mission.
"We have decided to hit it head on and find a cure, and we believe we are close to finding a cure," said Hopkins.
The Zac Brown Band will be playing a concert at Chase Field on Nov. 19, on what will be their final tour stop. Hopkins said he wanted to come to Phoenix beforehand to say hello to Dbacks fans.