I will be running the NYC marathon for The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research in honor of my grandfather, Morris Borenstein. Morris was born and raised in Poland, but with the outbreak of World War II, was sent to a work camp. While aboard a train taking him to a concentration camp, Morris jumped off and escaped, then survived by hiding underground for the remainder of the war. After meeting my grandmother, who also survived the holocaust, they ultimately settled in New York City. It was a few years later, around 1954, that Morris was diagnosed with ALS.

Despite having been through all he had with the war, and being diagnosed with a terminal disease that generally only has a few years of life expectancy, Morris fought and lived with ALS for about 30 years, until his death in 1984. The sheer will and determination he lived his entire life with is awe inspiring. He battled every day with this disease for decades. I became involved with The Packard Center shortly after my graduation from Johns Hopkins in 2007. I am not in the medical field, but I do know that this disease, like all diseases, will only have breakthroughs in treatments and possibly cures by funding research. Some years ago, when The Packard Center mentioned they had been applying for charity spots for the NYC marathon, I held out hope they would gain admittance. Having lived almost my whole life around New York City, being an endurance athlete (very amateur!), a Hopkins alum and someone so connected to the disease, I was thrilled to learn this year they finally received several slots. It’s an honor to myself and my family to run for this cause, and a responsibility on my behalf to promote awareness and support to find a cure to this terrible disease.