#Boston Marathon, Multiple Sclerosis, My husband, Our friend

This year, my husband Barlow joined Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Marathon team to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). He was inspired to do so because of our dear friend, Susan, who has been living with a progressive form of MS for 25 yrs. The money Barlow raises will go toward MS research at BWH.

Susan went to law school with Barlow and is a graduate of Mt. Holyoke. When I first met her, she was working at a top law firm in NYC and then at Universal Studios in California. She loved sports and physical activity--tennis, volly ball, biking, and hiking. She volunteered to help kids compete in the Special Olympics. But, MS caused her to retire early. Today, Susan needs a wheelchair and can no longer type on her computer.

Yet, even after her retirment due to MS, she served for 13 years on the National MS Society's Board in California, and then in Oregon, where she now lives. For six years in a row, she was the #1 fundraiser for the Souther California MS chapter, and one of the top two fundraisers in Oregon for the MS walk. In total, Susan has raised over $300,000 for MS research.

On a personal level, you can imagine how much Barlow and I desperately want to help Susan and BWH find a cure for MS.

Susan is also an award-winning poet

I'm so proud of Barlow for training this past winter, running in single-digit weather, across difficult, snowy terrain. But none of it compares to the terrain that Susan has had to cross these past 25 years. She inspires us every day.

--as does Brigham and Women's Hospital for being ahead of the curve since its inception, finding cures for diseases that once seemed impossible to treat. My
bone marrow transplant in 1979 is certainly an example of that. I believe that BWH will do the same for MS.

Click link to support Barlow's effort to help Susan

Thank you!

Happy Marathon day! Look for Barlow running for Susan!