Microsoft's Super Bowl Ad shows how the Microsoft Surface Pro can change the life of an ALS sufferer

It's sadly ironic. Steve Gleason, a former safety for the New Orleans Saints, made one of the most dramatic plays in Saints' history. Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, the people of New Orleans had suffered terribly. With the Saints unable to play in the Superdome for 21 months, Gleason blocked a punt in the first quarter of the first game in the Superdome in close to two years. The ball was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown and that moment marked the beginning of the city's turnaround and recovery. A statue depicting the block is displayed outside the Superdome.

But the man who symbolizes recovery in New Orleans will never recover from his medical problem. Gleason now suffers from ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. In Microsoft's first ever Super Bowl ad, Gleason is shown confined to a wheelchair, using a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet to communicate. Thanks to a program that tracks his eyes, Gleason lets the tablet be his voice.

These are the moments when we should be celebrating technology for technology's sake regardless of the name on the device, or the operating system employed. ALS is a disease that no one wishes on their worst enemy. When you see how Gleason uses his Surface Pro throughout the day, you can understand how the tablet helps him have a much fuller life than those with ALS in the past.



source: Microsoft, GeekWire via WPCentral