Gleason Page #3

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He wasn't an introvert, but he

was more on the quiet side,

I can remember he was

about 6 years old,

and I had him in the backyard.

He was at the farthest end

of the lot in the backyard.

I bought him a Wiffle ball

and a bat.

I said,

"Keep your eye on the ball,

and watch the ball hit

the bat."

So I tossed it to him.

First time he swung the bat.

He hit the ball over the house.

And we're talking

plastic Wiffle ball.

And I thought, "Holy crap.

What do I have here?

Our parents got divorced

when I was 15,

and you were 11 maybe?

Something like that.

And so growing up,

what I remember

is that they would fight

all the time.

A lot of verbal abuse.

Our parents literally

screamed at each other

for hours, just like screaming

as loud as they could

for hours and hours and hours.

There reached a point between

Mike and I where things got

pretty bad

and the boys

did not like that,

especially when I started

going to therapy

and learning how to stand up

for myself again.

Then that got pretty tense.

I didn't have experience

in how to raise somebody.

My father was never home

when I grew up.

So I didn't really have

an example of how a father

should be.

So I was just doing

the best I could do.

I probably over pushed

in some areas

just because I just saw

a lot of talent there

and somebody that had

fierce determination.

So I thought, well,

there's a lot

this kid can do.

And here come the Cougars!

MAN:

There's Stephen right there.

When you saw--

How the interaction was

as a family--

And things weren't right

between your mom and I--

That you can take all that

frustration out on the field.

And it was a great way

for you to release

pain, anger, uh...

And I hate to say it,

but that was

one of my motivations

when I played ball.

'Cause my own life

with my parents

was pretty dysfunctional.

And you grew up in a pretty

dysfunctional marriage.

STEVE:

The biggest thing my dad

has contributed to me

is just determination,

perseverance. Hard work.

I mean, the guy

to a fault, he works hard.

I ended up in a 12-step

recovery program

for workaholism and anxiety.

This a biblical principal

and it's in the Old Testament,

but it says,

when the kings

and their sons would sin,

the generational sin

would go from one family

to the next

unless somebody in the family

would get before the Lord

and say,

"Okay, God,

forgive me for this."

I'm not doing this anymore."

Somebody has to stop the sin

or else that sin runs

from one family to the next.

Okay, a topic based blog here.

Today's topic will be religion.

God. I don't believe God

is a father figure

white-haired man up in heaven.

I don't believe in the fear

that is in the bible.

The fear tactics

that are used in the bible.

I believe in love.

Treating someone else

as you would like to be treated

is my number-one...

rule.

The more I pray,

and the more I read

about this stuff,

the more I believe

God wants me here.

Now, wait a minute,

if that doesn't happen,

I can accept that.

Okay.

The more I hear you saying,

God wants to heal you.

God wants to heal you,

and I'm like, hmm,

that's interesting because

it says in the bible

that we don't know God's mind.

No, that's not true.

It does say that though.

So are you saying

that since I'm--

I'm not saying--

Since I'm sick

and if I die it's because

I don't have the mind of Christ?

I'm not saying that at all.

I would never say that.

Never.

I'm feeling open

and a little bit

anxious and nervous.

How are you feeling?

About the same.

About the same.

Let's give Kevin a warm welcome.

[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]

It's a privilege

to be back here again.

I think we were here

about three years ago,

wasn't it?

Four years?

Three or four years ago.

When I started reading

that book,

I started feeling

inside of me

that I should lay hands

on my own son,

but I was scared,

just like he was,

because I didn't want it

to not work.

Well, just do it.

[WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]

We're gonna get there.

This whole thing's

gonna be easier, Michel.

It's gonna take time.

KEVIN:

We're gonna focus

on ourselves right now,

and we're gonna put our hand

on our body parts.

Later, we'll put our hands

on other people.

Later on.

But we'll start here first.

And then I want us to sing

"It's The End of My Pain

As I Know It."

Are you ready?

Let's do it, Kevin.

It's the end of my pain

as I know it

It's the end of my pain

as I know it

It's the end of my pain

as I know it

And I feel fine

KEVIN:

Okay, now, check your body out.

Try to make it heard.

Try to do something

that you couldn't do before.

I'm gonna go run.

See if there's 10 percent,

20 percent, 30 percent

difference,

50 percent,

100 percent improvement,

some kind of improvement.

Come on, try to make it heard

real quick.

Now, wave your hand if you had

some kind of improvement.

Right there. Right here.

Right there. Right over here.

Right back there. Right here.

I'm gonna run.

Okay, go for it. Right here.

I'm gonna run.

Right here. Right there.

Should I run?

Wow! Look at this.

This is awesome.

This is awesome.

Just go do it.

This is-- Go. Just go ahead.

Just check it out.

Try to make it heard right now.

Okay, wave your hand if you've

got some more breakthrough.

Look at this. More.

Okay. All right. Good try.

Here let me have your hand.

Good try.

Try again.

Yeah, that was how many steps?

Four steps.

[APPLAUSE]

Let's get a couple big guys here

as well

and come alongside of him

to run with him.

You're a big guy.

Come on.

You in the blue.

There you go.

Don't touch me.

This is bullshit.

It's not bullshit.

Yes, it is.

So at this point,

what we're gonna do is

these guys are gonna go back

there and practice this

while I continue.

There you go.

Keep up with him.

He's gonna tell you it will

happen when he leaves you.

He said usually things happen

once he's gone.

Just so you know.

MIKE:

Michel, you're his partner.

You need to trust

and believe with him.

You really need to--

She's with me all the way.

I am with him so much,

Mike.

I know you are.

Don't you dare say that to me.

It's okay.

Michel, come on in.

Everybody's different.

WOMAN:

I know. That's what

she just said, though.

I feel sick.

Okay.

The team's gonna come this way

and go past us that way.

Okay.

MAN:

It was a surprise appearance

by Steve Gleason.

His first appearance on camera

since going public

that he had been diagnosed

with ALS.

Obviously, I don't

how to move or talk

quite the way I used to.

When you're good at something,

it's fun to see other people

admire you.

And I think that's a good thing

to be so good at something

that people admire you.

But I think it could be

dangerous if that becomes

obsessive.

And I certainly struggled

with that when I retired.

If you're not doing something

where there's tens of thousands

or millions of people that are

admiring you,

can you still be happy?

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