
A Life Impossible
Living with ALS: Finding Peace and Wisdom Within a Fragile Existence
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Narrated by:
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Daniel Cummings
From NFL player Steve Gleason, a powerful, inspiring memoir of love, heartbreak, resilience, family, and remarkable triumph in the face of ALS
"Gleason is a symbol of resilience, hope and optimism.”—The New York Times • "Steve Gleason has changed the world."–Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner • "An extraordinary book...A Life Impossible will change the way people cope, think, and live."–Mike Lupica, co-author with James Patterson of 12 Months to Live
In 2011, three years after leaving the NFL, Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal disease that takes away the ability to move, talk, and breathe. Doctors gave him three years to live. He was thirty-three years old. As Steve says, he is now ten years past his expiration date.
His memoir is the chronicle of a remarkable life, one filled with optimism and joy, despite the trauma and pain and despair he has experienced. Writing using eye-tracking technology, Gleason covers his pre-ALS life through the highs and lows of his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, where he made one of the most memorable plays in Saints history, leading to a victory in the first post-Katrina home game, uplifting the city, making him a hero, and reflected in a nine-foot bronze statue outside the Superdome. Then came his heartbreaking diagnosis. Gleason lost all muscle function, he now uses Stephen Hawking-like technology to communicate, and breathes with the help of a ventilator. This book captures Gleason and his wife Michel’s unmatched resilience as they reinvent their lives, refuse to succumb to despair, and face his disease realistically and existentially.
This unsparing portrait argues that a person's true strength does not reside solely in one’s body but also in the ability to face unfathomable adversity and still be able to love and treasure life.
©2023 Steve Gleason and Jeff Duncan (P)2023 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"Steve and Michel Gleason have helped ease suffering and restore hope for countless families grappling with ALS. In the face of unrelenting adversity, they’re teaching us all what it means to show up and fight for others."—Bill Gates
"Steve Gleason stands for hope, and he stands for infinite possibilities.”–Drew Brees, former New Orleans Saints quarterback
“Steve Gleason has proven to be a great man, a great partner and father, and a truly great competitor. . . . His battles are daily and his victories are to be celebrated. . . . The same goes for this book. It is not written by a mere mortal, but a true hero whose wisdom is hard-earned and his generosity a public service. I love and admire him, deeply.”—Eddie Vedder
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Worth it
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The honesty of the raw emotions of the Author makes this book so great.
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The good the bad and the ugly
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Brutally Honest
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Simply Beautiful
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My mother had ALS and I was one of her caretakers for several years. She lived with this awful disease for 4.5 years. She passed on 12/1/24, and I’m still reeling with grief. She received a feeding tube in 2022, but opted not to get a trach. The feeding tube extended her life for an additional two years for which I am very grateful.
Reading Steve’s book brought back so many memories of all of the struggles as we navigated a disease we knew nothing about, but were forced to learn very quickly. Listening to all of the mental, physical and spiritual struggles that Steve shared made me feel closer to my mom. I always tried to understand how she was feeling but I could never fathom the nightmare she was living each day. I know first hand, what caregiver burnout feels like and could relate so much to Michel’s feelings. It’s an awful feeling to pray for an end, because you feel like you just cannot live in the chaos of ALS another moment. Watching your most loved one wither away to nothing is pure hell on earth, it’s torturous beyond words. Yet, when my sweet mother’s life came to an end I swore I’d do it all over again to have my her back with me one more day. Reading this book made me feel so close to my mom for some reason. I felt deeply connected to the entire story. The good memories, and the bad.
If you’re looking for another good book to read, No Pressure, No Diamonds by Teri Dillion was excellent. She also wrote her entire book using her Tobii eyegaze. Like this one, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. I have so much love, respect and admiration for Steve Gleason and his entire foundation, who help so many people with ALS. I love you Steve!! Thank you for sharing your beautiful soul with the world. You have left such a lasting imprint on my heart.
Genuine, Raw, Heartfelt
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Courage
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Can’t say enough
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Gleason's story is inspirational
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Life changing
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