Ahman Green, the all-time leading rusher for the Green Bay Packers, has revealed that he has early onset Parkinson’s disease.
Green, 49, made the diagnosis public during an interview with Tyler Dunne on his Go Long podcast.
“I had a little bit of the feet twitching when I’m in my sleep and stuff like that,” Green said. “I mean, I knew something was going on long before that. I just got a hold of some doctors [and] was able to get in contact with and get the diagnostics, get the testing, and finally got it tested…I’ve got to remind myself of things. When I meet somebody for the first time, it’s like a name. I hear that name, then I repeat it. I try to repeat it or write it down. And if I don’t, I’ve got to follow up with them.”
Parkinson’s is a neurologic disease that robs people of the ability to control their movements. It’s a slow, debilitating process that can begin with barely noticeable tremors. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Tremor is common in Parkinson’s disease. But the disorder also may cause stiffness, slowing of movement and trouble with balance that raises the risk of falls.”
After the diagnosis, it took Green some time to digest it. But the competitor in him refused to let him get too down or quit.
So instead of sulking, he decided to accept it and take the steps to deal with it head on.
“I got the reins,” Green said. “I’m in control. I’m not going to let this control me. There is some medicines that I’ve been taking from the doctor’s side of it, so I made sure [to stay] on my protocol there but on my side, the food is my medicine…I’m ahead of it right now.”
But it wasn’t easy at first, especially when it came to identifying what the symptoms were alluding to. Yet once the doctors started running tests, saw his vitals and how he was walking, the diagnosis became painfully clear.
So now the 4x Pro Bowler and Packers record holder for most career rushing yards (8,322), rushing yards in a single season (1,883 in 2003) and a game (218 in 2003), eats a super clean diet, takes care of his body and stays on the medical treatment provided by his doctors to fight back against Parkinson’s.
“I know unfortunately there’s a day we eventually, where our clock stops ticking,” Green said. “The way I look at it, my clock is going to stop ticking when I want it to stop ticking.
“I’ve always been like that,” he added. “The way I ran the ball, you’re going to have to break both my legs to stop me running the ball.”
