I'm In!!
~~When Andrew, my best friend (and big brother), was diagnosed with ALS in July of 2016, I felt like I was frozen - sadness, confusion, frustration, anger, fear, and a myriad of other emotions flew through me all at once, and the end result? Helplessness... I felt helpless. I had only a modicum of knowledge regarding ALS, but I knew enough, and I was reeling. Our friendship and brotherhood was, in large part, centered around two common loves: family and sports (and music and beer, but we’ll focus on family and sports for now). Really, our relationship played out as one long string of athletic and physical endeavors; a journey we took, almost invariably, together. But Andrew led the way, as big brothers do (albeit somewhat forced), and that was a responsibility he took seriously, carrying it all the way through our lives and into his diagnosis with ALS. Andrew was at the time, and continues to be assured, graceful, hopeful, and powerful. He inspires me to learn, and to hope, and to work for a better tomorrow for our family, and for everyone living with or touched by this disease. There is much work to be done, but with the progress that has already been made, there is also much to be hopeful for...
Now, as we approach year six of Team Niblock's participation in the Tri State Trek, another year has passed, and Andrew continues to persevere and inspire. Thanks in part to the money raised by the Trek (since its inception in 2003) for the ALS Therapy Development Institute (TDI), Andrew and many others living with ALS have had access to cutting edge care, and there is even more reason to be hopeful for the days and years to come.
While everyone’s life has been turned upside down for the last couple of years, the Trek has continued on, pivoting as necessary to continue providing critical funding for the ALS TDI mission. Like everything in 2020, it was virtual. 2021, thanks to research, better understanding, and vaccines, enabled us to take to the road together again with a 100-mile loop from the ALS TDI facility in Watertown, MA. Now, in 2022, we’re all the way back! Team Niblock will be taking to streets on June 24th, starting at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA, and riding the 110(ish) hilly miles to the UCONN campus in Storrs, CT. We will then join the riders on the final leg into Greenwich on Sunday, ending at the Greenwich Country Day School, Andrew’s place of work and a community that has been incredibly supportive since his diagnosis. Team Niblock again includes Andrew's college roommates as well as many friends and family, and we continue to ride with the common goal to raise awareness and to fight back against ALS. Please join me in supporting Team Niblock and the ALS TDI by making a donation here. The amazing people at the ALS TDI are working with unwavering commitment towards finding effective treatment and a cure for all of those that need it. I'm in!
