5 Canadian students touched by ALS win awards for their advocacy

Five Canadian students personally affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will each receive $2,500 to support their studies in the 2026-2027 academic year.

The ALS Canada Kevin Daly Bursary award winners were chosen for their contributions to the ALS community through caregiving, advocacy, fundraising, volunteering, or awareness efforts. The bursary was established in 2023 to honor Daly, a husband and father who was diagnosed with ALS in 2020 and died in 2024. His family and friends have continued the program with the ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada).

“Kevin’s compassion, generosity, and commitment to helping others left a lasting impact on the ALS community, and ALS Canada is honoured to work alongside his family, friends, and supporters in continuing to carry his memory forward,” Chris Pon, vice president of fund development at ALS Canada, said in a press release from the organization. “Not only does this Bursary relieve some of the financial pressure of post-secondary education, but it also recognizes students whose experiences with ALS have inspired them to make meaningful contributions toward a world free of ALS.”

ALS progressively damages nerve cells that control voluntary muscles, eventually affecting abilities such as walking, speaking, eating, swallowing, and breathing. Nearly 4,000 Canadians are living with ALS, and about 1,000 are diagnosed each year, according to ALS Canada.

“As a family who has experienced ALS firsthand, we appreciate the recipients’ courage and openness in sharing their own experiences,” said Elena Daly, Kevin Daly’s wife. “To be able to pass along some kindness in honour of Kevin’s life and legacy brings us all a lot of joy.”

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The winners

This year’s awardees are Anika Brants, Saige Johnston, Matthew Murray, Carter Sullivan, and Benjamin Webb.

Brants, 20, is entering her third year studying engineering and management at McMaster University. A former professional cyclist for Team Canada, she supports the ALS Canada Revolution Ride in honor of her mother, Tracy, who is living with ALS.

“Financial stress is a reality for every student, and receiving this bursary helps take some of that pressure away, allowing me to spend more time at home with my family,” Brants said.

Johnston, 21, is beginning her fourth year at the University of Guelph. She cared for her mother, Taya Jones, who died from ALS in 2022, and later founded the university’s ALS Club.

“Receiving this bursary makes me feel that my experience with ALS and my advocacy work are being seen, heard and recognized, and I am deeply grateful for that,” said Brants.

Murray, 25, is pursuing a master’s degree in nuclear engineering at the University of Waterloo. He cared for his mother, Susan, who died from ALS, and remains involved in ALS fundraising.

“I am so grateful to the Daly family for their generosity and for creating an opportunity that honours families touched by ALS,” he said. “It is a reminder that the ALS community looks out for one another, and that my mother’s memory lives on in the people who continue to fight for this cause.”

Sullivan, 18, is pursuing post-secondary studies while developing a hockey career. He was 12 when his father, Sean, died from ALS, and he and his family later raised more than $12,000 for ALS support through a community walk in Nova Scotia.

“ALS has taken so much from our family, and having this support means the world to me, and it makes me feel acknowledged and heard. Thank you to everyone who supported this bursary and made this a possibility for me and my family,” he said.

Webb, 18, is studying coding in Saskatchewan. He has cared for his mother, Paula, who is living with SOD1-ALS, a genetic subtype of ALS, and found at 17 that he also carries the SOD1 gene. He has also advocated for greater federal investment in ALS research.

“Receiving the ALS Canada Kevin Daly Bursary is incredibly meaningful and provides financial relief for myself and my parents,” Webb said. “Seeing the impact that advancements in ALS research can have on families like mine gives me hope for the future and allows me to focus on building the life and career I want to pursue.”