Chris Snow has lost multiple relatives from familial ALS. Most recently, the assistant general manager of theChris and his wife, Kelsie Snow, always knew there was a possibility that he could be diagnosed next.
“When it struck our family that young, previously having struck my uncles at ages 48 and 52, that was when it became more real to me,” Chris said. “That’s when it became a concern.”He was working out in a hotel gym in Denver during the playoffs when he realized he didn’t have the same grip strength in his fingers and outer part of his right hand. He suspected it was ALS right away.
Only about 10 per cent of all ALS cases are classified as familial, meaning that there are at least two people in their family who are blood relatives with the disease. Out of all ALS cases, only two per cent have the same specific gene mutation that Chris has.“It was obviously the most devastating thing that has happened in our lives,” she said.