I completely relate. While I am grateful that Hawking's will to live was so immense that he was able to withstand the ALS for decades, I lost a dear friend to it, roughly three years after he was diagnosed.
It is a terrible wasting disease, wretched both for the patient and his or her loved ones, and incredibly painful to watch the steady ongoing decline.
RIP to Professor Stephen Hawking, your friend Ross, and my friend Gary.