Orlando Thomas Dies- Former NFL Minnesota Vikings rookie, Orlando Thomas dies at 42 due to ALS. Thomas died in his hometown in Crowley, Louisiana, which was confirmed by Glenn Boullion, Director of Geesey-Ferguson Funeral Home and his agent, Mark Bartlestein.
Orlando Thomas has been fighting ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis since 2004. But it was only three years later that he confirmed that he is battling with the disease.
When Orlando Thomas dies, he was praised more by every person who knows him. "Nobody's ever fought a battle like Orlando fought, with so much dignity, I never saw anything like it," Orlando Thomas agent Bartlestein stated, "It's just incredible."
Before Orlando Thomas dies, ALS has been troubling him so much for over ten years. He fought bravely until the disease has tied down Thomas to bed. He was not able to move, the debilitating disease has even made it harder for the former rookie when he was not able to speak.
Demetra was there all along until Orlando Thomas dies. His wife has been his guide. She was Thomas' eyes and hands while going through the alphabet just to form the words that Thomas has to say.
Upon his death, the entire NFL teams and his former Vikings teammates are all mourning. Thomas has represented the state of Minnesota with much dignity and class. He has been the favorite among his teammates with his extrovert personality, says Vikings in their statement.
Everyone was praising the former Vikings safety. They said that Thomas has never shown any piece of negative attitude to anyone. Thomas has been a survivor who has battled ALS more than ten years.
According to ALS Association, a person who has ALS has an average of five years to live. But Thomas has made it more than ten years. Orlando Thomas dies with dignity, he was never afraid of his disease.
ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," a progressive disease that affects the brain and spinal cord nerve cells until all the motor neurons degenerate that leads to the person's death.
ALS is affecting two person every 100, 000 people. In U.S. about 5, 600 people are known to have ALS every year. There are about 20 percent who can live five years, 10 percent of people with ALS who can survive over ten years while five percent can still live 20 years.
Orlando Thomas dies Sunday. Thomas is just one among NFL players who suffered ALS. In August, Tim Shaw has also announced his battle with ALS.