A Sad Update About Our #VoiceYourLove Ambassador, Ryan Farnsworth
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Ryan Farnsworth, whose story is featured as a part of our #VoiceYouLove campaign, died Tuesday evening surrounded by his family.
Ryan was diagnosed with ALS in October 2015, at the age of 29. Soon after, he and his family connected with The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. As active ambassadors of the mission of The ALS Association, they selflessly moved us closer to our vision to create a world without ALS. Ryan was loved by everyone who knew him. He was a young man of uncommon wisdom and grace, which he brought to everything he did, including his own journey with the disease.
Team Ryan” represents a truly remarkable community of friends and loved ones of Ryan Farnsworth. The Team’s efforts, in support the mission of our chapter, have included their active participation and support in six Golden West Chapter community outreach events including our Walks to Defeat ALS in Fresno, Monterey, Santa Rosa and Silicon Valley, the Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS, and our Champions for Care and a Cure. Since 2016, Team Ryan has over 120 participants and raised over $21,000 to fuel the search for effective treatments and cures for ALS.
Ryan once said, “The intense challenge of living with ALS is a fire that has forged me into a far better version of myself. But I do not consider that I am battling against ALS. It is unhelpful to me to frame it this way, and frankly, it is not a fair fight. And if I thought of it this way, I would be measuring myself as failing as the disease progresses. I decided that I needed to love my body and myself as I am.”
Ryan knew that his ALS journey would be ending soon, yet he and his family decided to give their remaining time together to use their voices to raise awareness and support for our ALS community. Through the #VoiceYourLove campaign, Ryan’s story was shared to over 450,000 people nationwide by email and over 950,000 people on social media.
All of us at the Golden West Chapter loved working with Ryan. We all feel privileged to have known him, and he will be deeply missed. Our warmest thoughts are with his family and all of those who considered Ryan a friend.
Please take a moment to learn more about Ryan here in this #VoiceYourLove article on our website, which also features videos of Ryan and his family: http://bit.ly/VoiceYourLove_RyanFarnsworth.
You can learn more about Ryan’s work as a writer, poet, inspirational speaker, and personal reflections as a person with ALS through his blog/YouTube Channel and through his book of poetry, “Seeds of Light Sown“.
To make a gift in memory of Ryan and in support of Team Ryan, please click here.
