ALCOA, Tenn. — It's senior year at Alcoa High School and Garrison Stephens is surrounded by friends he's had in his life for as long as he can remember.
Stephens was diagnosed with juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) earlier this summer. His friends said they'll be where they always are while he battles the illness, which is right by his side.
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"It's been rough, but I've had all my friends around me, my family, they're been supporting me the whole way through it," Stephens said. "And, I'm fighting it."
Stephens, along with his friends AJ Love, Walker LaRue, Eli Graf, Moro Ayl, Jay Kirk and Aden Orrick, have big plans for senior year.
They're regular high school kids, planning the next time they plan to go out to eat, excited for this weekend's football game and looking forward to tailgates and upcoming fishing trips.
"Around Christmas last year I just kind of noticed a bunch of weakness in my left arm and then like it kind of progressed getting weaker and weaker," he said. "And then we started going to the doctors and about two months ago, they ended up diagnosing me. So we've just kind of been handling that, from there."
Stephens is a fighter, he knows it and his friends do, too.
"What it means to be a fighter, is like, no matter what goes through or gets in your way, or (is) being an obstacle, you always try to be that number one," Ayl said. "You always try to win that battle."
Graf said he's supporting Stephens and his family because he knows they'd do the same for others.
"He's a guy that really if you didn't know this stuff was going on with him, you couldn't tell, because he keeps a smile on his face."
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Alcoa High School is a family and the Stephens family is already seeing an outpouring of support for Garrison, through a GoFundMe fundraiser and prayer cards a friend's mother created.
"Everybody knows each other (at Alcoa High School)" Kirk said. "I mean, we are not too big. So everybody knows each other, it's fun to be around everybody here."
Alcoa High School Assistant Principal Sarah Bailey said it's important to speak out about ALS. Juvenile ALS affects fewer than 1,000 people in the U.S., according to the nonprofit Target ALS.
"Just to bring awareness to it," Bailey said. "I think it's not very common for younger aged kids, specifically under 20, it's like 1% of the population. So just bringing awareness to it, understanding what it is, and caring for those around us."
Despite the diagnosis, Stephens' friends, who endearingly refer to him as G Funk, said they're making sure he has a senior year to remember.
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"As long as we can stay off that topic and try to just be there for him when he needs us, be there for every phone call with him, that's all we can do," LaRue said.
The teens have spent years of bike rides, fishing, crawfish catching and sleepovers together. Now, they'll be together when Stephens needs them the most.
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"I'm kind of playing it day by day, living it right now," Stephens said. "And we're just going to handle what happens when it comes."
To donate to the Stephens family GoFundMe click here.