The Incredibly Complex Life Of Stephen Hawking

The Disease Continued To Run Its Course

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By 1969, Hawking had begun to seriously lose physical control over his body and his mobility had almost been completely diminished. He was forced to use a wheelchair, however, the disease also seemed to be slowing down after the rapid initial effects.

By the mid-1970s, his family had taken in one of Hawking’s graduate students to help manage his work and care for him. He was able to feed himself and get out of bed, but just about everything thing else he did had required some form of assistance. His speech was also deteriorating and only those very close to him could make out what he was saying.

Hawking began to achieve serious success in the 1970s.