Thank you for supporting my ALS United Walk fundraiser. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a cruel, relentless disease that slowly takes away the things we often take for granted: the ability to walk, to speak, to swallow, to breathe. Most people diagnosed live for just 2 to 5 years. ALS doesn’t discriminate, it can touch anyone, at any time. And right now, there is no known cause and no cure.

I'm walking for Margit Olson. She entered my life in January of 2021 in an absolute storm. Margit was the most energetic, extroverted, life of the party person I had ever met. Her diagnosis of ALS came in spring 2025. I was there when she had to switch to using a scooter but was still working every day with me. When ALS forced Margit out of teaching in fall 2025, I was heartbroken; not just for the way I was losing a beloved colleague, but also for the way Margit was being deprived of a profession that meant so much to her. Since taking away teaching, ALS has taken her mobility, her voice, and her eating. A dedicated teacher, a former Cross-Fit athlete, the loudest and most extroverted person in the room, and an avid foodie dedicated to the Philly food scene....it's all gone. I'm forever grateful to still have Margit, but I know now that ALS has to be the cruelest disease known to man.

Please walk with me or sponsor me! ALS may be relentless, but so am I and so is Margit.