Former college football coach Mark Richt took to Twitter to ask for his followers’ prayers as he begins a new treatment for Parkinson’s. “I am asking for your prayers this morning,” Richt wrote. “I am taking the levodopa drug that is designed to help Parkinson’s for the first time. Please pray for good results and no side effects! Thank you!” The Parkinson’s Foundation detailed levodopa’s uses on its website, calling the drug “one of the most important breakthroughs in the history of medicine.” Side effects of the drug can include nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, and confusion. 

Richt worked as a college football coach for 18 seasons, with most of his time being spent in Georgia before he finished out the last three seasons of his career with the Miami Hurricanes in 2018. He had an impressive career, with 171 career wins over 64 losses and winning 10 of 17 Bowl games. At the time of his retirement, Richt was beginning to experience the early symptoms of the disease. He began to feel fatigued and couldn’t speak as quickly as he used to. “And I was thinking, well, maybe it’s slightly new terminology, and looking back, it probably wasn’t,” Richt recalled in 2021. He also suffered a heart attack in 2019. He first revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis on Twitter in 2021, writing that he saw his diagnosis as “a momentary light affliction compared to the future glory in heaven.” He also thanked Jesus for the promise of a body “that has no sin and no disease.” Richt has been open about his Christian faith throughout his career, acknowledging the impact that his Coach Bobby Bowden had in leading him to Christ. “Coach Bowden had an open-door policy, which was open to anybody who wanted to talk to him about Jesus. That changed my life. I mean, it dramatically — for all of eternity — gave me a new perspective on how to live,” he said. 

He has not allowed his illness to dampen his Christian faith. After announcing his diagnosis, he said in an interview with Maina Mwaura of Baptist News Global, “When the adversity hits you, you’re ready for it. You can handle it. If you spend time with the Lord, you truly have that peace that surpasses all understanding. When these things happen, you can handle them better, and you can stay positive.” He has written a book, Make the Call, since his diagnosis and continues to work as a football analyst for the ACC Network. He also has stated that he will continue to live his life, despite the changes the diagnosis means for him. “When we get those glorified bodies with no sin and no disease and all that kind of good stuff, I’m looking forward to that day. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy life like I always have,” he said.