Spongebob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg revealed today that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It's one of the cruelest degenerative diseases out there, and despite the spike in awareness in recent years thanks in part to the ice bucket challenge, there's still no apparent cure.
Hillenburg is a great inspiration to me and Spongebob was a huge part of my childhood (those first few seasons still hold up today), so learning this was a pretty gut-wrenching way to end the day. I hope he's able to get sufficient treatment to live for another few years in relative peace, because I can't stand to lose another childhood icon so soon. :cry: