I’m not going to give you any advice today. I’m simply going to recount a story that hopefully will make clear why you matter—both as an actor and as a human being. I was watching an episode of the television show “A Football Life” about an ex-football player named Steve Gleason. He played for the New Orleans Saints and is most famous for blocking a punt which led to the first points scored in the Superdome since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina took place 21 months earlier.
Four years after voluntarily retiring from football in 2011, he was diagnosed with ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). ALS is a death sentence. After diagnosis, average patient life expectancy is two-to-five years. As expected, his health declined very quickly and soon he was completely paralyzed and wheelchair bound, able to communicate only through eye gestures on a computer monitor. Despite not being able to speak or even move, he realized he still had purpose on earth. He wanted to inspire other ALS patients to realize their lives were not over and they could still contribute, regardless of their physical condition. It soon became apparent he was inspiring more than just ALS patients. To help with his
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