Fill The Boot, Fill The Heart: Gabe's Voice

Meet Gabe, a 17-year-old ambassador living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, laying out what hope looks like when it’s tied to real science and real community. We sit down for a rapid-fire, honest conversation about the HOPE-3 clinical trial, the daily realities of muscle loss and heart health, and the surprising places strength shows up—like a firefighter’s boot filled with donations that fund research and send kids to camp.

Gabe doesn’t just want to share a story; he wants to build a platform. His dream is to start a podcast focused on firefighters, service, and the people who show up when it matters. Along the way, we trade our own experiences with losing the ability to walk and the mental toughness it demands, keeping the conversation grounded in dignity, humor, and momentum.

The episode brings together advocacy, clinical research, and the power of community action, with shoutouts to Fill the Boot and the many firefighters who make a tangible difference. Expect practical insights on navigating trials like HOPE-3, a candid look at perseverance, and a reminder that joy—yes, even in sneaker talk—belongs in every fight. If stories like Gabe’s move you, help us amplify them: subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a boost, and leave a review to support more conversations that turn courage into action.

Transcript

Live From The Abilities Expo

SPEAKER_01 0:00

What's up guys? As you can see, we're not in the studio at home. We're actually at the Abillies Expo in Chicago, and this podcast is gonna be a little different. It's gonna be like a speed cast. The sound is not gonna be as great because of how wide open this space is, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Please enjoy this Life to the Max speed. What is up everybody? It is Life to the Max and we're at the Abilities Expo. It's Sherburg, Illinois. And today I have Gabe Ortell. Gabe Mortell, how old are you? 17. Gabe Ortell is 17 and he is he wants to be a podcaster just like me. And I really, really admire that man. So tell me a little bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

My name's Gabe. I'm the NDA ambassador for muscle dystrophy acceleration. And we do a lot of things for people in wheelchairs. Uh do clinical researches. Uh research. Uh we spend money for research for kids with muscle dystrophy.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

You said you're 17?

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Yes.

Inside The HOPE-3 Trial

SPEAKER_01 1:34

And you're an ambassador? Yes. Dude, that's awesome, man. That's cool. You're doing better than me. Yeah. So uh what is the cause? Uh what what is your cause for?

SPEAKER_02 1:48

It's just shin muscle dystrophy is a genetic disorder.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

So is there any like research going on or is it just Yeah, I'm in a um trial called Hope 3. Hope 3? Tell me about Hope 3, man.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Hope 3 is uh a thing that helps your muscles. Uh that your muscles don't get weak. Uh the disease I have, my muscles get weak while I lose them.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Right, so atrophy.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

So it's gonna help my heart and keep me alive and help my arms to stay strong.

Launching Gabe’s Podcast Dream

SPEAKER_01 2:20

That's right, man. You're gonna stay alive. Stay alive and do a podcast. How how are we gonna start this this podcast? You wanna you wanna you wanna see if we can start like a GoFundMe or something to get all your equipment?

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Uh I would l love to do that, but I need help setting that up.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Setting it up? Well, I have a person right there that can help you set it up.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

Okay, perfect.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

What would you name your podcast?

SPEAKER_02 2:50

Uh I don't know that. I want to do a firefighter podcast. Firefighter podcast?

SPEAKER_01 2:56

Explain it.

SPEAKER_02 2:57

Uh, so for my disease, they do fill the boot for kids with muscle dystrophy to take us to camp. And uh and have fun.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Do you enjoy it?

SPEAKER_02 3:08

Yeah. And there's they're doing a lot for this. They're raising money for clinical researches.

Firefighters And Fill The Boot

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Wow. Can you shout out the firefighters?

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Yeah, uh, thank you for the firefighters out there for raising fill the boot.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

What is uh one of the most difficult things you've gone through? Stopwalking. Stopwalking?

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Yeah.

Facing Loss Of Walking

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Yeah, me too, man. I I was in the military and uh I was training to be a special forces ranger and in car accidents, stopwalking, it was uh tough, tough stuff. But you know what we do? We face adversity and we persevere. Yeah. That's what we do. That's what people in disabled community do, that's what people mental health people with mental health issues do, we persevere. That's what we do, and you're persevere, my friend, and uh are you local?

SPEAKER_02 4:09

No, I'm in Indianapolis.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

Indianapolis? So I'm gonna have to fly my personal assistant down to Indianapolis to set up your podcast.

Shoes, Support, And Small Joys

SPEAKER_02 4:20

That would be great. Yeah. My house got a ramp, so you'll fit.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

What are some of the things you like?

SPEAKER_02 4:31

I like to collect shoes.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

You like shoes?

SPEAKER_02 4:35

I like to collect Nike shoes.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Damn, if I if if we have like the same size, I would give you my shoes right now.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

Yeah, I know those shoes are pretty sick.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Yeah. Like if we literally if we have the same size right now, I would take off my shoes and give them to you.

SPEAKER_02 4:53

Oh, my feet are small. Yeah. It won't work.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

What size are you?

SPEAKER_02 4:59

Four and a half.

Future Hopes And Everyday Miracles

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Four and a half? Okay. Well, if maybe you'll get a package sooner or later in the mail. So d did you enjoy being on a podcast?

SPEAKER_02 5:10

Yes, I love it. You love it? I like talking to the community and talking about firefighters.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Talking about firefighters. Fuck out, fill the boot, right? Is that what it's called?

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Yeah, firefighters made a good uh made me uh appreciate my life. Did you want to become a firefighter? Yeah, I would love to be a firefighter, but I don't know how I can, but Yeah.

Like, Comment, And Subscribe

SPEAKER_01 5:37

You know what? There's a lot of things happening in the future, my friend, and you're very young. Very young. Yeah. So you don't know if you who knows? Maybe you'll be a firefighter in five years, maybe ten years. Maybe we all get out of this chair and I'll be speaking on a microphone standing up rather than being. Just wait for a miracle. Miracles happen every single day, my friend. Uh man. So if you guys enjoyed this content, please like, comment, and subscribe, and as always, take a breath from me. Thank you so much. Uh thank you, Yay, for uh coming on the podcast, man. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Never really tripping, try my best to stay focused. I try to keep it cool. Are you lames? Keep it focused. Ahead on a swivel, looking out for the locust. I'm on stand so trying to dive my ponies. Am I the next best thing? Well, I think I'm the closest.