The creator of the Nickelodeon cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants” revealed this week that he has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“I wanted people to hear directly from me that I have been diagnosed with ALS,” Hillenburg said, reported THR.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I will continue to work on SpongeBob SquarePants and my other passions for as long as I am able. My family and I are grateful for the outpouring of love and support. We ask that our sincere request for privacy be honored during this time.”

A degenerative neurological disease that paralyzes its victims, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis typically claims the lives of its victims after a few years, THR said, although some patients live more than ten years.

And perhaps the world’s most famous ALS patient has had a productive five-decade career in his field despite the ravages of the disease. World renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, 75, was diagnosed with the terminal illness when he was just 21.

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