23-Year Battle with Lou Gehrig’s Disease: Park Seung-il’s Inspiring Life Cut Short at 53

Park Seung-il, a former basketball player who suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS), has died. Age 53.

On the 25th, the Seungil Hope Foundation announced, “Seungil Park, co-representative of the Seungil Hope Foundation, passed away after 23 years of fighting the disease,” and said, “We will remember the life of the deceased.” It said, “He raised awareness of the rare disease called Lou Gehrig’s disease in Korea, worked hard to build a Lou Gehrig’s nursing hospital, and helped many patients and their families. It added, “I pray that the deceased will rest in peace.”

Photo provided by Park Seung-il’s fan café
Mr. Park, who is 2 meters tall, joined the Kia basketball team after attending Daejeon High School and Yonsei University. After playing as a player, he went abroad to study basketball at Brigham Young University in the United States in 1999 with the dream of becoming a coach. He was later selected as the youngest coach of Ulsan Mobis (31 years old) in 2002, but was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease just four months later. In 2009, he published a book titled “Writing Hope with the Eyes”, written using an eye-operated mouse.

Lou Gehrig’s disease is a disease in which only the motor neurons gradually disappear, eventually rendering the body unable to move. We do not know why it occurs and there is no cure. Although the entire body is paralyzed, all the senses, including sight, hearing and touch, are alive, which is why it is called “the cruelest disease in the world.” The patient cannot speak because he has difficulty breathing on his own and breathes through a ventilator with a hole in his throat.

Mr. Park’s wish was to build a Lou Gehrig’s nursing hospital. This is because it is the only alternative that can ease the pain of families. In a 2014 interview with Dong-A Ilbo on the keyboard, Mr. Park was asked, “What do Lou Gehrig’s disease patients really need at this time?” As a result, I have had opportunities like this, but now I am more concerned about people’s attention than people’s attention.” “This is a time when we need financial help,” he said.

Instagram Capture of Singer Sean
It is reported that the Lou Gehrig Nursing Hospital, which is Mr. Park’s wish, is expected to be completed in December. Singer Sean, co-representative of the Seungil Hope Foundation, posted on Instagram on the 31st of last month, “The exterior of Korea’s first Lou Gehrig Nursing Hospital worth 21.8 billion won has been completed and the interior construction has begun,” adding, “It will be completed in 4 months, in December.” “It will happen,” he said. He said, “I met Seungil 14 years ago and had a dream, and I have been running non-stop for 14 years. He added, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude on behalf of Lou Gehrig’s disease patients and their families, to everyone who supported me and carried the thread of hope together.”

Jeong Bong-oh, Donga.com reporter bong087@donga.com