NHL player Mark Kirton devoted himself to advocating for people with ALS

In 2015, Mark Kirton was on a beach in the Bahamas and reading a book about the National Hockey League, in which he had competed as a journeyman centre with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks.

Suddenly, his right biceps muscle started to twitch uncontrollably. The episode marked the beginning of Mr. Kirton’s lengthy battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable neurodegenerative disease. More commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS ultimately makes breathing, eating, talking and walking impossible without medical devices and drugs, leading to paralysis before death.