This will be our fourth year walking in the Ottawa ALS Walk on June 6.

But this year is different.

We are walking in memory of my mom, who we lost in February 2026 after battling ALS.

ALS is a brutal, unforgiving disease. It attacks the nerve cells that control muscles, slowly taking away the ability to move, speak, eat, and eventually breathe. It doesn’t take everything at once, it takes it piece by piece.

My mom was strong, active, and full of life, hiking, skiing, always on the go. Her symptoms started in the Fall of 2021. She was diagnosed in December 2022.

By June 2023, she was using a walker, but still walking the ALS Walk.

By August 2024, she needed a wheelchair.

By summer 2025, she lost her voice.

And in February 2026, ALS took her life.

But here’s what it didn’t take: her spirit.

Through everything, her smile never left her face. She had every reason to be angry, to be defeated, but she wasn’t. She showed strength in a way I can only hope to carry forward.

People ask me how we are managing everything, losing her, having twins in October, going back to work in January. The truth is, it’s her strength that carries us every single day.

So we'll keep walking. We'll keep talking about how awful ALS is. We'll keep showing up for her.

If you can, please consider donating or joining us on June 6. Let’s keep pushing for awareness, for support, and for a future without this horrible disease.

We will be walking for her—every step of the way.