There’s a statue to Steve Gleason outside the Superdome. On Moday, September 25, 2006, the Saints returned home after being displaced by hurricane Katrina for the entire previous season. Early in the game against the rival Atlanta Falcons, Steve blocked a punt that was recovered for a Saints touchdown, and the rout was on. 

Steve has since been afflicted by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It’s a degenerative muscle and nerve disease, that robs a person of motor function, ultimately leading to death by respiratory failure. Life expectancy for a person with ALS used to be about three years. Steve has lived with the illness since 2011. His foundation has raised awareness and funding (over $20 million) for ALS research. Steve’s third annual “Fin Feather Fur Food Festival” comes to Blackham Coliseum Thursday, April 25th. It’s a cookoff. Teams compete in 4 divisions: Fin, Feather, Fur and Desserts. Sign up to compete, get tickets, inquire about sponsorship opportunities at  https://teamgleason.org/

Source: teamgleason.org

Blog by Steve Wiley