On June 21-22, I'll be riding in the Tri-State Trek to raise awareness to end ALS by supporting ALS research at ALS TDI. The ride has taken a deeper personal meaning for me. In late April, about 50 fraternity brothers from our alma mater, the University of Rochester, gathered for a reunion. Many of us hadn't seen each other in years, including Chris Brown, who travelled from Charlotte to New York and I hadn't seen in 36 years. It was a night filled with a lot of laughs and fun. I hadn't gotten a chance to spend time with Chris until midway through the party. We covered some funny stories from college, careers, and family. That's when Chris shared that he was diagnosed with ALS. It was heartbreaking news, but Chris's outlook was amazing and thought about how to support Chris in his battle. I searched and found ALS-TDI and the Tri-State Ride - so here I am.

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I'm riding to honor my friend's courage, to show him he's not alone, and to help bring us closer to a world without ALS. My goal is to ride 200 miles over two days to raise as much money as possible which will go directly to supporting critical research and patient services through the ALS Therapy Development Institute. ALS TDI is the world's largest drug discovery lab focused solely on ending ALS. It has 35 full-time scientists working on drugs to end ALS, has resources for patients, helps with enrolling clinical trials, support, equipment, assistive technology, etc. 

If you are able to donate, I'd be deeply grateful, as will Chris and his family. If not, sharing this page or simply sending a note of encouragement is also meaningful.

Thanks for helping me turn this pain into purpose.