How Stephen Hawking Defied Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis for Five Decades

Abstract

Stephen Hawking died in Cambridge on March 14, 2018 at the age of 76. He has been described as one of the greatest scientific minds in history and the most popular scientific figure since Albert Einstein. He is also a symbol of human courage and persistence, having continued in his work for decades in spite of a debilitating disease that left him confined to a wheelchair. Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in his early twenties. This rare disease leads to gradual decline of the brain’s ability to control muscles. Doctors predicted that he would live for only a few years, but the advance of the disease was slower than expected, thereby allowing him to pursue an illustrious career articulating theories of the cosmos and bringing science to the forefront of popular culture.