My dad was one of a kind. Quiet and soft spoken with a quick wit. He was the epitome of a family man and some of his favorite times were watching sports - especially when his children and grandchildren were the ones he was cheering on.

I first started running with my dad to train for field hockey. We would go out together and get the miles in while enjoying each other?s company and conversation. While our running days together were limited over the years due to his advancing Parkinson?s disease, we would still find dad on the treadmill getting his miles in - even when he shouldn?t have been!

I decided to run the Chicago Marathon to honor my late father and raise funds for the Parkinson?s Foundation. Hoping that one day a cure will come out of all the research and other families won?t have to watch their loved ones decline from this disease.