Dedicated Father, Loving Husband, Giving Friend and 

Powerful Musician

ALS changes your life in an instant.

Bryan's world was turned upside down when after three opinions, he was officially diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) on April 6, 2017.  It was devastating to hear, and it took him a long time before he was able to accept the new road that lay ahead of him.

Bryan Wayne Galentine, known in "Music Land" as Bryan Wayne or “BWayne” (like JLo!) to his close circle, family and friends lived in Nashville, TN with his amazing wife Staci, and two awesome sons, Grayson and Bennett. Bryan spent his career as a professional songwriter for nearly 25 years.

When he first received the diagnosis, countless questions paraded through Bryan's mind:

What the heck is ALS?

How long do I have?

Will my kids get it?

How will I continue to provide for my family?

How will I pay for treatment?

Will everything in my life just stop?

What will I become?

The answers to these questions came after he realized that, despite the fact that the diagnosis was his alone, he was certainly not alone. It was first through family, then through friends and foundations that Bryan began to build networks of support and eventually became an advocate. And as for the question, “What will I become?” -- Bryan realized that he would be exactly the same person that he's always been and will always be: a father, a husband, a friend and musician. "ALS isn’t who I am. It does not define me."

Knowing that he would be notably limited in his physical abilities to work, Bryan immediately took on finding assistance through grants and elsewhere as his new “job.” He learned that there are many foundations and organizations that offer assistance to ALS families, and that's when he decided to take on the role of ALS Advocate. Bryan made it his mission to “use my voice” and platform to point as many people living with ALS and their support teams to resources as possible.

Despite resources and support, ALS has a tendency to take away the very thing that can inspire a person. Bryan's main tools were his hands and his voice. "Again, I didn’t allow ALS to take away my identity." Being a songwriter, and knowing that ALS might eventually steal his voice, Bryan decided to make his own record so that his wife and sons, friends and family, and maybe even the world could hear him forever, no matter what. Bryan released the album “While You Wait” in November 2018. 

"I also have learned the power of using my voice to spread positivity, especially when facing the hardest times in your life. Before my diagnosis, I became tired of seeing so much division and negativity on my Facebook wall so I decided to start my own page, “Find the Good Stuff” where I share nothing but “good stuff” - positive videos, stories, quotes, memes, etc.  We all have to "find the good stuff"- we have to stay positive and not allow the "bad stuff" in the world to bring it down. Some days it's easier to find the good stuff than others. But we have to continue to try."

-Bryan Wayne Galentine

As Bryan would say, "The good stuff is out there...you just have to find it."