On August 30th, 2018 my father, Andy Block, succombed to ALS after battling the disease for just 18 months. Dad went on his own terms: choosing to stop his fight only when the disease kept him from being able to give of himself to others.
By the time of his choice, our family had mobilized to support him in many ways, not the least of which was our effort to raise money for a cure. In his final days he asked that we continue those efforts so that other families and individuals would not have to suffer as he did.
Please join me in supporting Dad's fight. I'm riding in his name, hoping that his inspiration will raise money to find treatments for this soon-to-be curable disease! All money raised goes to ALS-TDI, the first non-profit research organization dedicated to ending ALS in partnership with ALS patients and their families.
Normally, the three-day route is especially meaningful to me because the Tri-State-Trek begins just a few miles from my home in Massachusetts, and ends just a few miles from where Dad lived in Connecticut. This year, due to Coronavirus, the fundraising ride is virtual and accomplished over many smaller segments. I'll attempt to re-create the route by tracking my progress from Boston to Greenwich virtually. You can see my "location" (based on the number of miles of ridden so far) on the map above.
My personal connection and interest in a cure for ALS goes deeper still. My sister-in-law, Tracy Gibson, lost her battle with ALS at the too-young age of 27. So as I train and ride I think of Tracy and ride for her memory as well!
In our family's battle with ALS, we have been incredibly fortunate to come across other warriors fighting just as passionately. So it is that we met Team Truman: not just a Tri-State-Trek cycling team, but also the friends and relatives of the inspirational Amy Truman, who fought the disease for five years with courage, dignity and grace. I am honored to ride in Amy's memory as well.
You can read more about my father on his fund-raising page - to which you can contibute all-year-round!
