Hello, my name is John Ricca.

The photos you see were taken just a few months after I was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that has slowly taken away my strength, my independence, and the future I once imagined. Every day, I feel pieces of my body slip away, but the hardest part isn’t the physical decline; It’s knowing that my time with my children is becoming shorter than any parent should ever have to accept.

As my illness progressed, I’ve had to face a truth no mother or father is ever prepared for: I may not be here to protect my kids, guide them, or give them the stability they deserve. What keeps me awake at night isn’t fear for myself, it’s the fear imagining my children struggling to grow without a father to guide and teach them what life is about.

Until a few days ago, I never imagined I would write something like this. I always believed that the only way to earn money was through hard work, and although I worked really hard since I finished school, when ALS came into my life, I found that financially I hadn't made enough to secure my children’s future. Friends and family did the best they could to help me since the day that I had to quit my job, but I knew that I couldn’t ask them for more, and that my kids would have to confront whatever came to them with the least I could leave them.

Then recently, I saw the sad news about the passing of Eric Dane for Als complications and how his family, a family fortunately with far more resources than mine, turned to their community to secure a better future for their children. It made me realize something important: every child deserves safety, stability, and a chance at a better life, no matter who their parents are or what circumstances they were born into. If life has given my children the same suffering, why I should be ashamed of trying to give them the same protection

So here I am today, with humility and hope, asking for help. Because of my disease progression I fear that I may not have long left, and will probably not be able to see the result of this fundraiser, but I feel at ease knowing that until my last breath I did everything I could to give my children a better future, even if that meant asking strangers which I will probably never meet.

for help

My goal is simple: to secure a future for my children. I know that nothing can replace the love of a father, but at least I have peace of mind knowing they won’t struggle financially when Im not aroun anymore.

Every donation, no matter the size, brings me one step closer to giving them a better life. Even if you can't donate, sharing this fundraiser around means more than you'd think.

Thank you for reading my story, for caring, and for helping me give my children the one thing I won’t be here long enough to provide: a secure future.

With gratitude,