In 2024, Jeffrey Allen applied to the first season of “Beast Games,” a reality competition show on Amazon Prime Video that was inspired by the Netflix series “Squid Game” and created by YouTuber MrBeast. Why did this California Dad want to be on a game show? “Beast Games” offered the largest cash prize in history – and Allen wanted to make a difference in the search for a cure for his son Lucas’ rare disease.
Lucas was diagnosed as a toddler with Creatine Transporter Deficiency, or CTD, a rare genetic mutation that blocks the transport of the natural source of energy from the brain and muscle. Symptoms can include difficulty growing and gaining weight, slowed development of motor skills, intellectual disabilities, autistic behaviors and seizures, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. There are, estimated, just a few hundred CTD patients worldwide.
Known as Player 831, Jeffrey Allen won the first season of “Beast Games” and the massive $10 million prize. “It’s all a miracle,” he says about the serendipitous achievement and the gift of parenting Lucas.
Chapters:
01:00 Introduction
02:54 Diagnostic odyssey
09:29 Life with a rare disease
19:07 Beast Mode
28:45 Rare diagnosis, long life
Watch the last few episodes of The Path:
• ‘The Story I Never Thought I Would Tell’: https://youtu.be/-SD8-YcQdb4
• ‘This Isn’t Normal, And It Isn’t Pain Free’: https://youtu.be/7iUQav3gFy4
• ‘What If We Can Get To Them Before They Have Symptoms?: How Florida Passed The Sunshine Genetics Law’: https://youtu.be/gYkS3WB8PNc
Check out Jeffrey Allen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@legacy831official
And to follow “Ruck for Rare,” visit: https://creatineinfo.org/ruck4rare/
Join us in advancing awareness and understanding of rare diseases: https://www.cnbc.com/cures/
Produced by: Katie Kramer, Brad Quick, Kelly Lin, Leanne Miller
Edited by: John Lazration
Camera: Marco Mastrorilli, Gerard Miller, Oscar Molina, Mark Aster
Audio: Everett Wong
Thanks to: Bryson Barnes, Justin Elmendorf, Brenda Guzman, Shpresa Neziri, Matt Quayle, Jordan Smith and KC Sullivan
Graphics by: Jason Reginato, Lindsey Jacobson
Additional Footage: Allen Family, Jeremy T. Grant/The Timbercross, Prime Video
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It’s All A Miracle: Beast Games’ Jeffrey Allen Wins Biggest Prize In History