Have you ever wanted to change somebody’s life, but didn’t quite know how? This week’s campus celebrity, sophomore James Orrigo, has not only changed one life, but many others as well. In addition to recovering from two severe concussions, James is also dedicated to raising money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, a charity that grants wishes to children with life threatening illnesses. It all started when James’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. After attending some chemotherapy sessions with her, he noticed other children who were also affected by the disease. As the children smiled, laughed and played, the fact that they were sick did not seem to affect them at all. This made James realize that sometimes we forget how precious life is: he knew he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
When James’s family moved to Boston, he started to play lacrosse to release some of the pain he felt from his mother’s illness. During one game, he got hit twice and suffered from two concussions, leaving him unable to speak and walk. To help relearn some of his cognitive skills, he started to learn how to play the guitar. After a year and a half, he was finally able to regain most of his skills and decided to use his guitar playing skills as a way to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. To him, this is such a deserving organization to raise money for because it really puts a smile on people’s faces.
Since James never thought of concussions as a big deal, he wanted to spread awareness of the dangers of getting them. He has traveled to many high schools along with a neurosurgeon to help educate children about how to avoid them and why it is important to stay safe while playing sports. He said that talking to high school students was much scarier than playing music in front of people.
While performing with his guitar, he calls himself Lad in a Battle. This is because he wants to reach out and break stereotypes that exist today and help people help others. He has played at numerous spots around campus, as well as at other schools such as Hofstra University. To raise more money and to “spread smiles,” he also sells Lad in a Battle t-shirts. If you buy one, you have to take a picture of yourself in it doing a good deed for another person. This is his way of spreading the positive movement of encouraging people to do things for others. He calls his shirts “positive peer pressure” because it can be hard to reach out and help a stranger, but with the shirt on, you know other people are doing it too. So far, he has sold over 100 shirts and has formed a team to help him with his mission. Collectively, they have made thank you notes for JMU dining services workers as well as make Valentine’s Day cards for elderly homes.
James was able to give the Make a Wish Foundation a check for $1,000 this past summer. Since it takes $6,000 to make one wish, his goal is to raise at least this much money, if not more. He never expected his music and initiative to grow as fast as it did, but it is amazing how many people want to jump on the bandwagon. To James, we all have so much power to make a difference in someone’s life, and it doesn’t have to be a big step – just an extra one!
For more information, you can go to James’s website, www.ladinabattle.com.