We lost my wonderful Dad, Mark McIntosh, to ALS in 2021. What we didn’t lose is his boundless love, his bright intelligence, his patience (hard won!) and the tremendous joy he found in nature, music, art of all kinds— and most of all in other people. “It’s all for joy” he would tell us — especially when worry, fear, or self-preoccupation crept in and overwhelmed a sense of perspective. I’m always learning more about what that means — that what really matters is discovering joy for ourselves and creating it for others — and I’ve never had a better teacher than my Dad. He’s still with us in so many ways, and certainly in my heart forever

This October, I’ll be running the Chicago Marathon and fundraising for the Les Turner ALS Foundation in his memory. Les Turner's mission is to provide the most comprehensive care and support to people living with ALS and their families so they can confidently navigate the disease, and advance scientific research for the prevention, treatment and cure of ALS. They were an incredible support to my family and continue to be a source of care for many others in the Chicago-area and beyond. Please consider donating to my fundraising for the Foundation — truly, no amount is too small.