Ranny MacDonald was in his early 40s when he noticed the early symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gherig's disease.
The accomplished hockey player and firefighter found himself growing easily fatigued. His hands, which in the past had so handily hauled a fire hose and grasped a hockey stick, were becoming weak.
But MacDonald never once complained about his health, said his brother Rod, also a Vancouver firefighter.
Shortly before he died, he said he had absolutely no regrets about his life, his brother told the teary crowd at the funeral service.
"That is a profound statement to make when one is laid up with a terminal disease. Ranny was my hero."
Ranny MacDonald faced his own fate by doing what he could to help others.
As part of that contribution, the brothers filmed a public service announcement to raise awareness of ALS, which attacks the motor neurons that send electrical impulses to muscles in the body.
The emotional 30-second video pictures the pair discussing life while sitting on the beach at Spanish Banks, said Nicolette Eus, an ALS Society board member.
"What makes it unique was that it was unscripted. Rod and Ranny were not actors," she said.
The video was so moving, it won a British Columbia Association of Broadcasters award, guaranteeing it millions of dollars worth of air time, Eus said.
Eus said Rod and Ranny communicated much about the disease and even more about life.
"They are firemen and to me they embody what courage is all about. They had the emotional courage to show us how vulnerable they really are."