Stephen Hawking inspires many with Lou Gehrig's disease

Stephen Hawking, shown in Pasadena, California, in March, is hospitalized but said to be "comfortable."

Scientist and best-selling author Stephen Hawking, 67, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, has beaten all expectations for people with the disorder, living more than 40 years with the disease that kills most in two to five years. "To have achieved so much in his lifetime while battling Lou Gehrig's disease is quite remarkable," said Dr. Lucie Bruijn, the ALS Association's scientific director. CNN