Guitarist John Driskell Hopkins, a founding member of the Zac Brown Band, shared Tuesday how he is coping with a recent ALS diagnosis.
“I’m super blessed to have this many incredible people that are lifting me up and it makes it better. It makes me feel less worried and far less anxious,” he told GMA. “I’ve sort of shaken the anxiety.”
Hopkins, 51, revealed that he has ALS – a progressive neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – last month.
“I’m starting to slur,” he said on Tuesday. “Right now, I feel pretty good today. But I cant jump up from the chair and run down the hallway. I would fall. I’m wearing half my costume all night because it takes me a little longer to button things, and I cant jog down the hall after everyone else.”
Hopkins vowed to continue to making music. “If I can’t pick up a guitar, then maybe I can program one,” he said. “I don't think music will ever not be a part of my life.”