city that really needed one. this block clinching a win for the new orleans saints in their first home game after hurricane katrina ravagedhe city. a hero then. a hero now. but for a very different reason. >> i have been diagnosed with amiotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease in the motor neurons. the disease is almost always fatal. >> reporter: just a few weeks after this devastating news, steve and his wife michelle found out they were having a baby. >> do you think it already has a hard head? that comes from his dad's side? >> reporter: they started filming everything. love letters and life lessons for their son. while steve still has a chance. >> i feel like he had this terminal diagnosis but we felt like we could walk on water. >> hello. hello. hey, how are you? how are you now? >> it was one of the happiest moments of both our lives, knowing we were going to have a baby and this is going to happen. do you remember that day? >> reporter: since then, als has robbed steve of his ability to move, to talk, and to breathe. today he relies on a computer to speak. >> i had some incredible moments on the football field. but

september 2006, the new orleans saints back in the superdome for the first time since hurricane katrina ravaged their cityks a punt for his team. reigniting the fire within so many who lost so much. >> look out. breakthrough. caught by steve gleason. >> reporter: gleason, a hero then and a hero now but for a different reason. >> i've been diagnosed with am joe trophic lateral sclerosis which can a disease in the motor neurons and this disease is almost always fatal. >> reporter: within a few years, the once forceful football player loses his ability to move, to talk and eventually to breathe. today he relies on a computer to speak and a ventilator to stay alive. one second you walk out onto the feel and you're seen as a hero. and then you can't control your simple body functions. so how do yyou deal with that dichotomy. >> here's my thinking. my life ain't easy but it's awesome. i had some incredible moments on the football field. but i've had even more uplifting moments off the field. since diagnosis. >> reporter: six weeks after the diagnosis, his wife michel finds out she's pregnant. the young couple's