Ryan Young | Why I Extra Life

This post was written by fourth-year Extra Lifer Ryan Young playing for Alberta Children’s Hospital. You can learn more about Extra Life at extra-life.org. 

I’ve been asked “Why I Extra Life?” a few times in my three years of supporting the cause (2020 will be my fourth year). I have always had a different answer for people.

It’s weird… I can’t think of one reason why. When I try to narrow it down to one reason, I fail at it over and over. When I first got into Extra Life four years ago, I was looking for some sort of charity that I could support and donate some of my free time to that involved gaming. That’s two of my favourite things: gaming and giving back. I distinctly remember sitting at my computer, a PC that my sister’s boyfriend made for me from his old spare parts. At about 2 AM, after binging some World of Warcraft for a while, I began Googling gaming charities. Extra Life was the first result. I looked into it and realized that all I had to do was play video games for 24 hours straight and raise some money. Easy peasy!

I set off to do it; Game Day was three weeks away. In those three weeks, I raised $165 that I knew was going to help kids. I never realized how difficult playing games for 24 hours was going to be, but I pushed through all the difficulties because, frankly, it’s for kids… and I’ve been up a lot longer for a lot less. That first year, I did Extra Life just because it sounded cool.

However, things changed in year two. I did a really hard push and did a much bigger campaign because I had the time and was able to. This is the year that I learned that two of my best friends had been hospitalized as sick kids while young. Two of my best friends had their lives saved by children’s hospitals. Now, it was personal. I realized that these hospitals are saving the lives of the people who will grow up to be amazing people, people like my best friends. It really dawned on me that I can do this! With that in my heart, I raised $500 in my second year. Year two, I did it for them. I did it for my friends, the friends that I can call family, and who are some of the most amazing people on this planet.

Just over a year ago, after my year two Game Day, I yet again changed as to “Why I Extra Life.” So why do I, Ryan Young, Extra Life?

• I Extra Life because this organization is just so amazingly fantastic!
• I Extra life for every single child that ever has to be in any hospital, ever.
• I Extra Life for all the parents that stay strong, day-in and day-out, for their kids.
• I Extra Life for all the doctors and nurses who work tirelessly to help each and every sick child have the best experience they possibly can in their health treatment.
• I Extra Life to help fund the equipment needed to save a life.
• I Extra Life because one day, it may be my family that is using a children’s hospital, and I will be happy to know I’m part of this community.

Why do I Extra Life? I Extra Life for each and every child, healthy or sick, that may or may not need the services of a children’s hospital… For every child who has been saved, and for every child, we have lost. I am so happy to be a part of this amazing organization, and I look forward to Extra Life-ing for many years into the future! Now, I have a challenge for everyone out there… If you like to play games if you like to give back if you like to have fun… I challenge you to join myself, and the thousands of other Extra Lifers on Game Day, and I challenge you to help play games and heal kids!

Why do you Extra Life? Submit your answers here for a chance to be published on the Extra Life blog. 

Don’t forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!