A local girls’ field lacrosse pioneer is battling a rare neurodegenerative disorder.
John Pritchard played a massive role in promoting and growing the sport of field lacrosse in Orillia, and he now hopes to spread awareness about multiple system atrophy (MSA), a disease that attacks both voluntary and involuntary neurological systems in the body.
Pritchard began experiencing tremors a little more than a year ago, and in August he was diagnosed with the condition after doctors originally suspected Parkinson’s disease.
In the time since, Pritchard has been forced to rely on a wheelchair as his tremors worsen and blood pressure issues leave him highly susceptible to fainting, among numerous other issues brought on by the disease.
Pritchard has fainted hundreds of times since September, said his wife, Elizabeth, and he has had to stop working as territory manager for Flanagan Foodservice.
Though the disease has no cure, Pritchard has chosen to accept his predicament and openly speak about his struggles to raise awareness.
“I’m very unhappy that this is going to happen, but this is the hand I’ve been dealt,” he told OrilliaMatters. “It’s about awareness … I don’t think people know enough about it to realize, like, I’m in a wheelchair. Since September, I’m now in a wheelchair.”
While his experiences with MSA have dramatically altered his life over the past year, for the past 15 years, Pritchard has worked at developing the Orillia Lady Kings, helping to bring it from a small, fledgling program to a full league of teams well known across the province at all levels.
He didn’t know much about field lacrosse when his daughter, Kelsi, started playing, but he fell in love with the game just as his daughter did.
“Field lacrosse is a totally different sport, and it’s more finesse: You have to be a good runner and you have to have good hands,” Pritchard said. “(Kelsi) went through that, loved it, and we’ve been involved ever since.”
Whether through scorekeeping, managing teams (including one that travelled to Europe), setting up information booths, or putting together articles for the Orillia Packet & Times, Pritchard’s involvement spans all areas of the game, and culminated in an A-level U19 Ontario championship in 2016, against far bigger markets from across the province.
As a result of his work, dozens of young women, including Kelsi, have gone on to compete at the collegiate level in both Canada and the United States, with many returning to coach the Orillia Lady Kings through the summer — a sign of a thriving sports program, he noted.
The rather humble Pritchard, however, does not give himself much credit.
Instead, he defers to his old friend, John Mayo, who helped him grow girls’ field lacrosse locally, as well as serving with Ontario Women’s Field Lacrosse together to expand the sport provincially.
“I think John and I are pretty proud of our accomplishments,” Pritchard said. “If you were to ask some of the other centres, I think they’d attribute a lot of the growth to how John, as commissioner, managed (everything).”
Despite his prognosis, Pritchard’s love of the game prevails.
He’s looking forward to helping his daughter with her coaching responsibilities and contributing in whatever way he can next season.
“Even if ... they give me the game sheets and I’ll write up the article … that’s something I can do. I want to help out,” he said.
While Pritchard may be soft spoken about his accomplishments, Mayo gave a glowing review of his friend’s influence on the sport.
“Orillia became, relative to our size, a leader in girls’ field lacrosse, and John was right in the middle of that,” Mayo said. “I would call him the epicentre of girls’ field lacrosse from the last 15 years, and there’s no doubting … that legacy he’s created.”
Pritchard’s passion for the sport is obvious, Mayo said.
“He just loves the game; he loves the girls … He was just really proud to promote it and see his own daughter flourish, (too),” Mayo said. “He has been, I would say, the greatest builder, promoter and supporter of girls’ field lacrosse Orillia has ever had.”
In particular, Mayo listed the 2016 provincial championship among Pritchard’s greatest accomplishments, citing his prolific efforts in promoting the game as one of the reasons so much talent has come out of Orillia.
Pritchard has accepted his health situation courageously, Mayo said.
“It’s just heartbreaking now to see his health is declining,” he said. “He’s handling it with his head held high and he’s really not looking for any sympathy. He really wants to continue to support the game and he’s not flinching in terms of his support.”
Pritchard’s daughter has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for MSA research here.
