Steve Gleason accepts 2024 Arthur Ashe Award

(WVUE) – Former Saint Steve Gleason was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYs Thursday (July 11) night in Los Angeles.

He was presented with the prestigious honor by former New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, Gleason’s teammate in 2006 and 2007. His son Rivers stood by his side on stage.

After accepting the award, Gleason’s 4-minute speech was a major highlight of the night. In the speech, Gleason reflected on his life and the fight those living with ALS face daily.

“When I learned I was receiving this award, I started reflecting on what that word “courage” means,” Gleason said. “To be courageous, we must first experience loneliness, unworthiness or any of the faces of fear. I was told I’d have three years to live when I was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, so I’ve got the wilderness of fear tattooed all over me.

Gleason explained that fear and adversity are inevitable for everyone, but it’s the individual’s response to challenges that determine the meaning of courage.

“The truth is, no human is immune from fear or adversity,” Gleason said. “Not even super athletes, royal princes, or the most holy saints.”

After being diagnosed with ALS in 2011, Gleason established the nonprofit Team Gleason with the mission of empowering those living with the disease and advocating for research aimed at finding a cure.

In recent years, Team Gleason successfully lobbied for “The Steve Gleason Act” in Congress. The act ensures the availability of life-sustaining communication devices for people in the U.S. living with ALS.

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