Former State Senate leader Marc Basnight says he is suffering from ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
The Manteo businessman acknowledged his disease in an interview to the North Carolina Coastal Federation that was published today. ALS is a fatal neuromuscular disease with no known cause or cure.
Basnight resigned from the State Senate, citing health reasons, after winning re-election in 2010. The 64-year-old was elected to the Senate in 1984, and was named Senate leader in 1993.
