Not Giving Up

Today we learned about the disease Myasthenia Gravis and the affect it had on a young man named Brandon Cox.  He was known as Mr. Football in Alabama and was the starting quarterback for Auburn University.  He did all of this while having the diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis from the age of 15.  His story is inspiring in how he combated his symptoms and was able to continue living the life he wanted to.  Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the nicotinic receptors that are needed for muscle contraction to occur.  This leads to muscle weakness and fatigue that affects every day life.  Brandon also experienced double vision which is a common side affect of this disease and it affected his football playing abilities.  Another thing he had to deal with was keeping his disease a secret from his teammates, this lead him to having a lot of stress.  This disease is manageable with medication and energy conservation.  Brandon is in his thirties now and is still fighting the disease.  His story was inspiring because he never stopped fighting and didn't give up his dreams.