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My father passed away at age 46 from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. For someone known for his ability to fix things with his hands as well as his infectious laugh, ALS took both of these things from him. Despite all the physical abilities lost, the disease never took away his spirit. I will always remember both the anger and confusion as to why my dad was declining in front of my eyes, however, I will also never forget his ability to not lose his personality despite how much he was suffering-working tirelessly to learn how to do wheelies with his powered wheelchair in parking lots.

Shortly after my father's death, in my 10th grade biology class, I was taught what a neuron was. It was then that I knew the path I would take in life-both to seek the answers to questions I still had about my father's death but also to help those who suffered with neurological disease. I have since completed a Neurology residency with the United States Air Force and a fellowship in Neuromuscular Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center-fulfilling my personal goal of placing myself in a position to make an impact on a population of patients that inspired me to go into medicine. The experiences I have had in the multidisciplinary clinics for ALS have both reinvigorated my spirit to care for this population but also served as a stark reminder of how many gaps continue to exist in both our knowledge of the disease as well as how to ensure all patients have access to the technology, assistive devices, and most importantly treatments they deserve.

The sole mission of the ALS TDI is to discover and develop treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as quickly as possible and they have the most comprehensive drug discovery lab dedicated specifically to ALS research. Their mission is directly in line with what drove me into medicine and helps provide the hope our patients so desperately need at this point in time. My father often repeated during his battle, ' don't hope, hope leaves room for doubt...believe'.

I believe in the mission of the ALS TDI and their work has inspired me to run the TCS New York City Marathon to help raise funds so they can continue to do the important work they do in discovering cures and treatments that are desperately needed by the ALS community. This race will not only be run In an effort to honor my father's memory, but also to give back to my patients outside of the clinic and support an amazing charity.