Defying Gravity; The Survival Story of Stephen Hawking and H

Life of Stephen Hawking

• Connects mainly to Life of Pi
• Both characters relied on someone/something to keep them going on their journey
• Stephen Hawking: computer to allow him to communicate
• Pi Patel: Richard Parker for companionship
• Both characters credited part of their education to a certain teacher
• Both characters survived the unthinkable for extremely long periods of time, and Stephen is still alive!

Birth Through

Grade School

• Stephen William Hawking
• January 8, 1942
• Born outside of London and attended grade school at St. Albans School
• Often considered a "mediocre student"
• Extremely high IQ recognized later on

Connections to Previous Readings

What Else is Stephen Hawking Doing?

• The Theory of Everything was recently released which is about his life
• Announced he is the longest survivor with ALS
• Unable to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge but did make a video with his family
• Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama
• Goal is still to go to space one day
• Continues to hold lectures about the universe and black holes

College and Graduate Work

The Beginning of All Time

(The Early Life of Stephen Hawking)

• Attended Oxford University and studied Physics
• Awarded First Honors in Natural Science
• Continued studies to research Cosmology at Cambridge University
• Received a PH.D.
• Began work as a researcher shortly after graduate work

Recent Achievements

Defying Gravity; The Survival Story of Stephen Hawking and His Impact on Today's Society

What is Stephen Hawking Doing Now?

• Remarried in 1996
• Published a children's book about space
• Starred on shows like The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons
• Got to participate in a space simulation where he was able to leave his wheelchair

The Initial Symptoms/Diagnosis

• Began falling and slurring his speech
• Disregarded these symptoms
• Father forced him to go to the doctor
• Doctors ruled out MS, but did explain that his disease was incurable
• Right around his 21st birthday he was finally diagnosed with ALS
• Given 2 1/2 years to live

The Diagnosis

The Starry Future for ALS

New Life with ALS

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

• Adapting to disease, tried to keep a positive attitude
• Slowly lost control of his muscles and the ability to speak
• In 1985 he lost the ability to speak completely
• Married Jane Wilde in 1965, had 3 children
• Intel provided him with a computer where he could type what he was saying
• After complete loss of muscle control, Intel provided a computer with a sensor that would speak for him

• Able to raise awareness about ALS
• People from around the world participated
• Over $100 million dollars raised for the ALS Foundation which will go directly to finding a cure for the disease
• Celebrities like Charlie Sheen and Lady Gaga donated $10,000 dollars to the ALS Foundation

Background of ALS

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease)
• Disease that affects the nerve cells and spinal cord
• Two types of ALS: sporadic or familial
• Early signs include weakness in arm/leg movement and the inability to speak properly
• No cure as of now; some drugs are in clinical trials
• Once diagnosed, usually given 2-5 years to live
• Enormous amount of donations going in to support the ALS Foundation after the ice bucket challenge.