At age four, Lexington resident Liam Ryan was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, that most kids his age didn’t have to experience, called juvenile dermatomyositis. One in 500,000 children are diagnosed with this disease that affects the healthy muscles, tissues, joints, ligaments and skin. Liam couldn’t perform daily tasks or even pick up his own head.
Since then, Liam has been through aggressive treatment. Now, he attends Diamond Middle School and plays for Lexington lacrosse, making huge progress from where he once was, according to Luke Ryan, Liam’s father.
During Liam’s journey, Luke thought about an idea for a family-fun variety show to highlight “all the grassroots do-gooders that are out there,” he said. In April, Luke created the DoGoodery show with LexMedia.
“We know a lot of people are hit sideways and they get that calling in life, and we want to just help infuse that and add fuel to the fire,” Luke said.
The show is split into two parts. In the first half, a guest — which tends to be a person or an organization who’s a “do-gooder” — shares their story so that viewers have context for what they are trying to make better or work on. Then, there is a break with a music performance.
The second half gets the audience involved. Together, they brainstorm ideas for the do-gooder guest, maximizing impact to take their efforts to the next level, Luke said.
The DoGoodery show has released two episodes so far, and Luke said he is hoping to air an episode once a month.
The most recent episode features World Wrestling Entertainment’s retired wrestler, panelist and spokesperson Big E and Make-A-Wish recipients Liam, Luke’s son, and Jose, another child affected by a rare disorder.
Jose, a WWE fan, had his 20th birthday coming up. So, Luke went on Cameo and found Big E, who did a Cameo for Jose. Later, Luke messaged Big E on Instagram, unsure if he’d receive a response, and shared a snippet of what Jose’s mother sent to him of the Cameo’s impact.
Luke and Big E kept messaging, and Luke suggested the idea of Big E being a guest on the show. Big E said he’d be happy to. Luke also invited a representative of Make-A-Wish to join.
The episode covered mental health, overcoming adversity and the impact of collaboration.
“It’s kind of packing that snowball and pushing it forward, and you know, more people are jumping in and helping,” Luke said. “And pretty much anytime I’ve ever shared this story with anyone, they’re like, ‘Okay, I’m in. How do I help?’”
Luke said the show shines light on topics that media usually doesn’t have space to share.
“You get hit with a lot of negative news nowadays and I’d rather kind of shine a spotlight on all the good things we’re working on together,” Luke said.
Luke’s future ideas include hosting an event at the movie theater in Lexington Center and expanding the audience by traveling across the country in an RV to capture content.
Bill Murphy, who has brought in more than $1 million for Make-A-Wish in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, is a confirmed future guest. He has also run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.
The show emphasizes how “ordinary” people can help make an impact.
“A collective can-do spirit, so basically you don’t really have to ask permission to go do cool things in life, so we’re here to help,” Luke said. “I think we’re just going to build a lot of great things together.”