john volunteered to be one of the first people in the united states to participate in an operation to inject stem cells directly into his spine. it s called a phase one clinical trial. this is the first step. no one knows what will happen. here s how john got to this place. two years ago i was running, playing golf. and then gradually, literally, he began to lose it. started tripping and kind of like we thought it was like a foot drop and started catching my foot on bricks and curbs and started losing my balance initially and then developed a limp in my right leg. i lost the dexterity and can t button buttons, can t tie shoes. i can kick a little bit but i can t really pick my legs up. john has als. it s better known as lou gehrig s disease.