Steve Gleason's story is remarkable. The former New Orleans Saint is immortalized with a statue outside of the Superdome for his blocked punt in the Saints' first game back home after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, and has been involved with the team ever since. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that he and his wife Michel Varisco are expecting their second child in October.
Varisco made the announcement via Instagram on Sunday. The pregnancy was made possible by in-vitro fertilization, and the Gleasons will have a girl.
The Gleasons' first child, Rivers, was born in October 2011. Gleason had been diagnosed with ALS eight months prior to Rivers' birth.
"Rivers is super excited," said Clare Durrett, Team Gleason's associate executive director, per NOLA.com.
Gleason has never been far from the Saints, and it's not surprising that he's not letting ALS keep him down. After the Saints lost to the Vikings in the divisional round of the postseason, Gleason tweeted out that he was "so in shock I can't move." He was also awarded a ring for the Saints' Super Bowl 44 victory, despite not being on the team at the time the Saints won, and he was given the key to the city.
