Johnny Rodriguez - Walk Through Life With A Smile

Johnny Rodriguez is our guest on this episode. He played many types of sports throughout his life and eventually gravitated to lacrosse (a sport that does not get much attention in the USA). He played the sport from before high school through college and played professionally for 7.5 years. Today, Johnny is a lacrosse coach at Mater Dei, a Catholic high school in Santa Ana, CA. He is married and is the proud father of three children. Johnny enjoys coaching and imparting skills to his players. Then one day in November 2023, his world changed as he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Join us as we walk with Johnny on his ongoing battle with this disease and how faith and family continue to push him through the sport that both defines his life and continues to drive him.

The day following the recording of this episode, Johnny received his Sacrament of Confirmation.

In this episode you will find answers to the following questions:

 What is Johnny’s “trifecta” that he learned while playing lacrosse?

What grounded Johnny early in life?

What is ALS? How and when was Johnny diagnosed and how did he initially respond?

How did the diagnosis affect his family?

What’s the typical progression and life expectancy of ALS?

What event changed Johnny’s perspective and gave him purpose? In what ways did he change?

What happened when Johnny applied his life-long competitive spirit to ALS?

Johnny went to Lourdes, France. What’s special about this place, why did he go there and what did he experience?

What happened when Johnny returned from Lourdes?

Why did Johnny go to the Ascent and Recreation Center and what did he experience there?

What is Athletes vs ALS and Augie’s Quest and what do these organizations do?

Is ALS more prevalent with athletes?

What words of wisdom does Johnny have about suffering?

What saved Johnny and his family?

Links:

Johnny's Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/j3rod/

Athletes vs ALS: https://www.instagram.com/athletesvsals/

https://www.britannica.com/sports/lacrosse

https://augiesquest.org/athletes-vs-als/

https://ascentadaptation.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_of_Our_Lady_of_Lourdes

https://www.aboutcatholics.com/beliefs/catholic-confirmation-explained/

#catholicsports, #alschallenge, #alslourdes, #findpurposeinsuffering #materdeilacrosse