$191,725 / $200,000
Moving Miles for Mom
In November, I will run the 2026 New York City Marathon in honor of my mom who passed away from ALS on November 19, 2023. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that slowly takes away a person’s ability to move, speak, and eventually breathe—all while leaving their mind fully intact. It is as cruel as it is devastating.
Her life was defined by strength, humor, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to kindness, but it was cut short by a disease that still does not have a cure.
When my mom was diagnosed with ALS in December of 2021, our world shifted overnight. I watched my mom lose pieces of her independence. She faced everything with a quiet strength and grace that continues to shape the way I live my life.
Her most common directive to us was simple: “Be nice.”
It sounds so small, but she believed deeply in the power of kindness and that it was not weakness, but strength. That you never know what someone else is carrying, so you lead with empathy. She lived that every day, in the way she raised her children, and in the way she showed up for everyone around her.
I am running this marathon for her. But I am also running for the life she didn’t get to live, for the moments ALS stole from our family, and for every daughter who has had to say goodbye to her mother too soon.
This year, I am proud to be running for the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), the world’s leading nonprofit biotech dedicated solely to ALS research. ALS TDI is not just raising awareness, they are running real drug discovery programs, testing treatments, and pushing potential therapies toward clinical trials with urgency and precision. What they are doing is groundbreaking.
ALS is often described as incurable, but the truth is that ALS research is underfunded. There are brilliant scientists working every day to change the course of this disease. What they need is support, resources, and continued momentum.
That is why this run matters.
Your support directly fuels ALS TDI’s research—helping to accelerate treatments and move us closer to a cure. It helps families like mine hold onto hope.
With gratitude,
Jessica
