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“They’ve found cures for other diseases in my lifetime. Why not me in my lifetime?”

Jason Ritchie is a 49-year-old husband and father of two with a simple motto when it comes to participating in ALS research: the more invasive, the better. While Jason would never call his June 2024 diagnosis a gift, he tells us it's clarified what's important to him in life and pushed him to pursue his goals without hesitation.

For Jason, this means blending meaningful time with family and friends with offering his time, energy, and body to ALS advocacy, fundraising, and research in as many ways as he can. It's all in an effort to improve outcomes for pALS of the future - carried by the hopeful knowledge that treatments are in development, and there's no reason one couldn't work for Jason.

In today's conversation, Jason tells us about his early symptoms, swift diagnosis, and the two questions he can't stop asking himself: Why do I have it? How did I get it? He shares the steps he's taking to answer those questions as a participant in CAPTURE ALS and the phase one clinical trial for Lumina, and his addiction to advocating for the Canadian Collaboration to Cure ALS to make sure critical research moves forward.

We also discuss the importance of openly and honestly discussing even the most taboo of ALS topics, and how practicing this honesty has allowed Jason to process his emotions. He explains how storytelling contributes to his fundraising for the ALS Canada Revolution Ride, an event the Ritchies hold near and dear to their hearts, and how he helps to shape the ride as a member of ALS Canada's Board of Directors.

Finally, we finish with a chat about seated darts, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the foster dog who was just meant to be.

If you'd like to share your story on the show, or have ideas for what you'd like to hear us speak about next, send us an email at originals.morethanals@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!

To access the transcript for this episode, click here.