Get to know the deadly diseases caused by the creator of SpongeBob's character, Stephen Hillenburg

Merdeka.com – The death of Stephen Hillenburg, creator of the emblematic character SpongeBob Squarepants, has deeply hurt the fans of the animated series. The man died at the age of 57 after fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

"With a heavy heart, we announce the news of the death of Stephen Hillenburg, creator of SpongeBob Squarepants, we are in a sad moment to pay tribute to the deceased for his hard work," reported Nickelodeon, quoted by CNN, Thursday (11 / 29).

Hillenburg revealed that he had been diagnosed with ALS since last year. The famous British physicist Stephen Hawking also suffered from similar diseases. Unlike Hawking who was able to survive decades of ALS diagnosis, Hillenburg could not seem to last long.

However, Hillenburg has already expressed his intention to continue working despite the illness.

"I want to work for the SpongeBob Squarepants series as long as I can," he said in an interview with Variety.

For information, ALS is a disease that attacks the nerve cells of the brain and bone marrow that control movement so that people with the disorder will have difficulty moving their arms, legs and face. Until now, the cause of the disease is unknown.

According to Live Science, the average life expectancy of ALS patients is three years, of which only 5% can live more than 20 years. But in some cases, such as Hawking, genetics play a vital role in the long-term survival of people with the disease.

In reality, this disease does not affect the senses of vision, smell, taste, hearing, touch. But the patient will suffer from mental problems such as aphasia or difficulty finding words. In addition, this disease affects more men.

ALS itself is not an infectious disease, but 10% of people with ALS can contract this disease from their offspring. In addition, other factors enhancing the risk of ALS disease other than offspring include environmental factors such as smoking or long-term exposure to collision injuries. Stephen Hillenburg has been fighting this disease for a long time. [ias]