My mom was diagnosed with MS in 1999. My mom is a fighter and handles the effects of MS with strength, poise, and humor. She rocks, so I run!

Having multiple sclerosis means that you may not be able to run when you wake up. Or that you may suddenly have impaired vision. Or that your memory will fail you for no apparent reason. The symptoms of MS are different for everyone - the only certainty is that it will affect yet another person every hour of every day.

I run for her.

I had been running recreationally for years before I decided to run my first marathon in 2010 to raise money for the MS Society.  In the Spring of 2010 my mom was having trouble with her eyesight as a result of her MS. The scary thought of my mom going blind over something I couldn’t control left me feeling … powerless. I was not raised to wallow in perceived powerlessness.  Running the marathon, a personal feat for me, while raising money for the MS Society was the perfect marriage. I needed to feel control over something that could possibly help my mom and thousands of others like her. Crossing the finish line of my first NY marathon was epic.  And then I caught the bug what runners can really do.