When Liam Ryan was four years old, he couldn't lift his own head. Diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disease affecting roughly one in 500,000 children, he spent years unable to perform basic daily tasks as the condition attacked his muscles, joints and skin.
Today, Liam attends Diamond Middle School and plays for Lexington lacrosse. And his family's journey through illness and community support inspired his father, Luke Ryan, to create something new: a monthly variety show called "DoGoodery," produced at LexMedia, Lexington's nonprofit community access studio.
"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," Ryan told the Lexington Observer.
Every show splits in two: first, a guest shares their story; after a live music break, the audience brainstorms ways to expand that guest's impact. Two episodes have aired so far. The second brought in retired WWE wrestler Big E alongside Make-A-Wish recipients, including Liam himself and Jose, a young WWE superfan living with a rare disorder of his own. The episode touched on mental health, overcoming adversity, and what people can accomplish together.
Ryan first ordered a personalized Cameo video from Big E for Jose, then messaged the wrestler on Instagram with a clip showing how much it meant to Jose's family. Big E — who retired from in-ring competition in February after a serious neck injury and now represents WWE at charity events — said yes.
Future guests include Connor's Kindness Project, Bob Hutchins and Alison Campbell. Ryan has also spotlighted Bill Murphy of Grafton, who's donated more than $1 million to Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island and once ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, raising nearly $300,000 for the cause.
Ryan eventually wants to host a live DoGoodery event at the Lexington Center movie theater and travel the country in an RV to find more stories.
Want in?
Nominate a "do-gooder" or get involved at dogoodery.tv. LexMedia offers free training and studio equipment to any Lexington resident with a show idea. Episodes stream at lexmedia.org and air on LexMedia's public access channel on Comcast, Astound and Verizon.
