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how long did stephen hawking live with als

Stephen Hawking lived with ALS for about 55 years , from his diagnosis at age 21 in 1963 until his death at age 76 in 2018.

How Long Did Stephen Hawking Live With ALS?

Quick Scoop

  • Diagnosed with ALS around 1963 at age 21.
  • Doctors initially gave him only 2–3 years to live.
  • He died on March 14, 2018 , at age 76.
  • That means he lived with ALS for roughly 55 years.🕒

In other words, when people ask “how long did Stephen Hawking live with ALS” , the answer is: about five and a half decades , far longer than the usual course of the disease.

Why This Is So Remarkable

Most people with ALS survive only 3–5 years after diagnosis, and a smaller group may live 10 years or more.

Hawking’s roughly 55-year survival is considered an extreme outlier and is often cited as one of the longest documented courses of ALS.

Factors experts often point to include:

  1. Unusually slow-progressing form of ALS
  2. Early, high-quality medical care and assistive technology
  3. Strong social support from family, caregivers, and institutions
  4. His continued mental work and engagement , which, while not proven to change the disease, helped him maintain purpose and routine

ALS Timeline in Hawking’s Life

  • Early 1960s – First symptoms : Clumsiness, falls, and slurred speech while he was at Oxford and early at Cambridge.
  • 1963 – Formal diagnosis : Motor neuron disease/ALS at age 21, with doctors predicting only a short life expectancy.
  • 1970s – Mobility loss : Gradual loss of walking ability, eventual wheelchair use; upper limb function also declined.
  • 1980s – Speech loss and technology : After a tracheotomy, he relied on a speech-generating device and later sophisticated computer-based systems.
  • 2018 – Death at 76 : Died in Cambridge, England, more than 50 years after his initial prognosis.

Forum / “Trending Topic” Angle

On forums and Q&A sites, when people ask “how long did Stephen Hawking live with ALS” , the typical community answer is:

He was diagnosed around 21 and died at 76, so he lived with ALS for roughly 55 years , which is extraordinarily long compared with typical ALS cases.

This has become a reference point in online discussions about hope, prognosis, and variability in ALS progression.

Key Facts at a Glance (HTML Table)

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Question Answer
How long did Stephen Hawking live with ALS? About 55 years (from 1963 diagnosis to 2018 death).
Age at diagnosis 21 years old.
Age at death 76 years old.
Typical ALS survival Usually 3–5 years after diagnosis, sometimes up to 10+.
Why is his case discussed so much? Exceptionally long survival, continued groundbreaking scientific work despite severe disability.
**TL;DR:** Stephen Hawking lived with ALS for about **55 years** , making his case one of the most unusually long survivals ever reported for the disease.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.