Ripple effect of how comedy shows, laughter raises awareness and saves lives

A moment of laughter changed the course of a life, and now people use the experience to inspire others.

Ron Blake was born and raised in Northern Indiana. He shares his story of sexual abuse and how he overcame severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

“There was a night that three men came into my home in downtown Phoenix and I was held down, I was beaten and raped. The details of that night are really horrific. I mean, it was a struggle for a long time afterward,” explains Blake out.

Blake describes his battle with dissociative amnesia and PTSD after that night in 2011. On November 2, 2015, he says it all became too much.

“That night I was staring at the television before I took pills and it was the show called The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. There, this comedy show, something made me laugh. That was that exact moment at 10:44 PM that night I turned on the TV on pause and thought, ‘I can’t do this. There’s still good in me,'” Blake said.

An unexpected moment of laughter during a late-night comedy show became a pivotal moment and, for Blake, the difference between life and death.

The next day, Blake decided he would dedicate his life to sharing his story while trying to get on The Late Show. Everyone he spoke to signed a poster board in support.

“It would validate me leaving home. I met people and talked about what happened to me and that I had a purpose,” Blake said.

Jay Harrigan was one of the first people to sign the sign.

“He was dedicated to his cause. That was his eye-opening experience, which saved him from probably suicide, as I understand it. That night on The Colbert Show was what gave him a reason to live,” Harrigan recalls himself.

Harrigan became emotional and reflected on how far Blake has come and what could have happened if not for that moment of laughter.

“He now has more residents than the population of his hometown that signs his administration,” Harrigan said.

509 signs to be precise, 33,437 signatures and counting.

Blake estimates his reach is even greater. His Ted talk, school visits and letters reach people, some of whom he never meets in person.

He has devoted almost ten years to this cause. The original goal was to be a guest on The Late Show, but the impact has become so much greater.

“As time went on, people asked, can I put more than just my name or initials on it?” Blake said what started as signatures has turned into people sharing their stories on the boards.

Blake now carries with him the stories of thousands of people written into boards that support his mission. People who have overcome their own trauma. They contain messages of support and hope, that life is worth living.

As for that laugh-out-loud moment that started it all, Blake says he may never know what the joke was, but its impact will last a lifetime.

“The most important part of that night wasn’t what came into my head. It was what left me. The fact that I realized I could laugh,” he said.

Blake says he may never make it to The Late Show, but the project has become so much more. He continues on a journey for himself and also for those who have stories to share… just like him.