Joe Tolles
Joe Tolles is a semi-retired, professional hockey player, CrossFit gym owner/operator, organ donor, and inspiration to others.
More Than Our Story
Jillian Best
Jillian Best shares her inspiring journey from liver transplant recipient, to becoming a world record holding swimmer, the first transplant recipient to swim across Lake Ontario, and the founder of the Move For Life Foundation. A foundation devoted to reducing the wait times for transplant recipients.
Highlights
It's really an unfortunate situation that we have in our province... there are very few people registered to become organ donors... and many people that support it. So there's a disconnect.
I do think about my organ donor every day, and his family... I realize how lucky I am.
I had just been through this crazy experience, and here I was back in the salon, people talking about how they want their hair to look... It just didn't feel right.
I will be honest. I want to win... I'm competitive.
It makes you realize... what we're capable of overcoming
Move For Life Foundation
Jillian Best is the founder of the Move For Life Foundation, which is devoted to reducing the wait times for transplant recipients. Along with her team their goal is to raise $250,000 towards their first initiative: bringing the newest approach in organ preservation to the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in London, Ontario.
Upcoming Events: 1600km Relay
Starting August 1, 2022, Jillian and the Move For Life team will be holding their 1,600kms relay across Ontario. The foundation also notes the number 1,600 is very important, as it represents the number of individuals currently waiting for an organ transplant in the province of Ontario.
Become an Organ Donor Today!
By registering your consent and signing up today to become an organ donor you can improve the life of up to 75 people, and save up to 8 lives. It just takes two minutes. Sign up today!
Daniel
Daniel is an extremely curious person, a wealth of random knowledge and facts. Extremely passionate about a vast array of interests ranging from health to history, science to athletics, everything culinary and the list goes on. Trust us, you would want to be on his team for Trivial Pursuit.
Daniel is also years into his battle with brain cancer. He experienced a seizure while on a Zoom call at work in late 2020 and quite literally, his life changed within minutes. After his operation he started to talk about his story but had always known it was more than just him. From then, More Than Our Story became a PROJECT that has evolved into the starting point it is today.
Additional Profiles
Mark Opauszky
Mark Opauszky shares his story of unbelievable resilience in his fight against necrotizing fasciitis.
Kieren O’Hanlon
Kieren opens up about his health challenges, and how he is still perfecting the balance of being a loving husband, father and his well-being.
Greg Robertson
Greg Robertson shares about his enthusiasm for triathlon, his ambassadorship for the Somersault race series and his goals for 2023 and beyond.
Ruthie Sloan
Ruthie shares her story of courage and determination as she balances motherhood, trail running, and getting diagnosed with cancer during COVID.
Dr. George Ackerman
Dr. George Ackerman advocates for increased awareness of Parkinson's disease in memory of his late mother who passed from this terrible affliction.
Bob Knuckey
Bob Knuckey, 75-year-young, endurance athlete extraordinaire became a 2-time, age-group IRONMAN world champion this year in Nice, France.
Kevin Culliney
Kevin Culliney advocates for cancer awareness and seeking out second opinions and alternatives. He shares his remarkable story of survival, from diagnosis with stage IV cancer.
Eric Duplain
Eric Duplain defines generosity, kindness and selflessness, and possesses the sheer determination and talent to master whatever he sets his mind to.
Daniel Hight
The inaugural profile is none other than Daniel Hight, founder of More Than Our Story.
Embracing You Podcast: Daniel Hight
Our founder Daniel Hight joins Eric Pothen on his Embracing You podcast to share his story about his renewed fitness journey and his perception of his body.
Stephen Glaus
Stephen shares his story of grit and determination of how he battles multiple sclerosis and his journey to becoming a three time IRONMAN.
Michelle de Clair
Michelle juggles many roles with pride: mother, wife, volunteer, her career; yet she maintains a humble, quiet resiliency, as a daily reminder of the dangers of COVID-19.
Danielle Patrice
Danielle shares her incredible story of survival against domestic violence and how she now advocates and champions for those who have lost their own voice and agency to this evil.
Needs Improvement Podcast: Daniel Hight
Our founder Daniel Hight joins Nicholas Whitaker on his Needs Improvement podcast to share his thoughts on the impact of physical health on mental wellbeing.
Interview: I Have Cancer, Cancer Doesn’t Have Me
Our founder Daniel Hight is interviewed by Dr. George Ackerman for Together For Sharon on how he navigates life with his cancer diagnosis.
Carol Schulte
Carol shares how her struggles with mental health led to her founding The Brave Initiative and become the bravest version of herself.
Nicholas Whitaker
After his layoff, Nicholas Whitaker co-founded the Changing Work Collective, become a life and career coach and devoted himself to improving workplaces, leaders and work culture.
Eric Pothen
Eric shares his story from struggling with an eating disorder, to coaching people to help heal their relationship with food and their bodies.
Jillian Best
Jillian Best shares her inspiring journey from liver transplant recipient to becoming a world record holding swimmer and the first transplant recipient to swim across Lake Ontario.
Steve Veasey
Steve Veasey candidly discusses his life, his epilepsy, and how his journey has brought him back full circle to his first love - illustration.
Ryan Grant Little
Ryan Grant Little shares his story from serial entrepreneur to angel investor and food tech ambassador. He also talks about his ongoing charitable and humanitarian efforts.
Ryan Stark
Ryan shares his love of being creative, debunks some of the myths surrounding diabetes, and about what it's like living with this condition.
Dr. Caesar Lim
Dr. Caesar Lim talks about his podcast The Capable Dads, where he and his co-hosts discuss topics related to fatherhood in an open and honest way.
Nicholas Umali
Nicholas shares his story of persevering through stage 4 cancer and how he views his diagnosis as a blessing that's given him a new perspective on life.
Brandon Throop
Brandon shares his story, from his diagnosis with non-Hodgkin lymphoma to his aggressive treatment and current remission from the disease. He also talks about his fundraising.
