LAFD firefighter and former Rams player prepares for fatherhood as he battles Lou Gehrig's Disease
Former Rams player and LAFD firefighter Eric Stevens, diagnosed with ALS nearly a year ago, is preparing for the biggest role of his life: father.
COSTA MESA, Calif. (KABC) -- Former Rams player and LAFD firefighter Eric Stevens, who was diagnosed with ALS nearly a year ago, is preparing for the biggest role of his life: father.
Eric and Amanda Stevens posted the heartwarming news on their Stevens Nation Instagram account, writing that baby Stevens is due in January. The couple shared with Eyewitness News that they're expecting a girl.
"I want him to watch her grow up and be a dad," Amanda Stevens said during a FaceTime interview Tuesday.
"I think this little girl will give us some more motivation and inspiration to keep doing what we're doing and we're just really hopeful that it will pay off and we can live a great life with our little girl," said Amanda.
While celebrating the news of their growing family, Eric says his condition is deteriorating.
"You could hear in my voice it's gotten worse," said the 30-year-old.
The Orange County couple has traveled to Washington, D.C. on multiple occasions advocating for ALS-related legislation, including H.R. 7071 - the Accelerated Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act.
"We're just constantly trying to educate and spread awareness," said Eric.
H.R. 7071 will create an infrastructure to fund early access to promising therapies discovered through clinical trials for patients with ALS.
But it still requires further support before reaching a vote.
"We are telling everyone who wants to help to please contact your representative and ask them to co-sponsor this bill," Amanda Stevens said.
They believe with enough momentum, treatments could be made available by January 2021.
Eric Stevens' diagnosis with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, came just one month after his July 27, 2019 wedding to Amanda.
There's currently no cure for ALS - and it almost always progresses, eventually taking away the ability to walk, speak and breathe.
Most patients are given just 2-5 years life expectancy.
"He is terminally ill so why can't he try something. He should have the right to be able to try a treatment that could potentially help him," said the mom-to-be.
Before firefighting, the Costa Mesa resident was a star athlete, competing at football's highest level.
In college, he was captain for UC Berkeley and signed by the then-St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
The couple's GoFundMe campaign to fund treatments has raised over $1 million to date.
