cut-2.png

Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow has been diagnosed with ALS, the team announced Wednesday.

In an open letter penned by Snow's wife, Kelsie, it was revealed that the 38-year-old executive has spent the past several months participating in a clinical trial at the University of Miami. The trial drug involves gene therapy treatment and is aimed at stopping the progression of the neurodegenerative disease. 

While it's unknown if Snow has received the drug or the placebo, Kelsie says his condition has not progressed since the beginning of the trial. At the moment, the only affected areas are Snow's right hand and forearm. 

Snow's family has a history of ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The disease, which currently has no recognized cure, has already taken the lives of his father, two uncles and a 28-year-old cousin. 

Despite the cruel diagnosis, Kelsie's letter carries a feeling of hope and optimism. 

"Someone has to be the first person to live with ALS rather than die from it, and one thing I've always known about Chris is that he finds a way," Kelsie said. "No matter the obstacle, no matter how unprecedented the situation may be - he always, always finds a way."

Snow joined the Flames as director of hockey analysis in 2011 and was promoted to assistant GM earlier this year. His path to the front office was a somewhat unusual one, as Snow served as a hockey and baseball beat writer, working for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Boston Globe, prior to transitioning into analytics. Snow left journalism to become director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild in 2006, a position he held until 2010.