Thursday, May 21, 2026

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Hello Andy’s Army! I’m Kaitlyn, Andy and Cindy’s niece. I’m running my first marathon this October as part of Andy’s Army along with several family members, in honor of my uncle Andy, and in support of ALS United.

Something happened recently that really stuck with me.

I received a donation from someone I didn’t know, so I reached out to him on Facebook just to say thank you. What I didn’t expect was how meaningful his response would be.

Kyle shared that after each marathon he runs, he donates to ALS. He had originally planned to run Chicago for Team ALS in 2024, but an injury kept him from doing it, and after attending an ALS event and meeting people affected by the disease, it really changed him. Since then, he’s made it a point to give back however he can.

After recently running the London Marathon, he went onto the Team ALS page and chose someone to support, and somehow, he landed on me! He said he was drawn to my story about my uncle Andy and wanted to help me reach my goal. He said that he just wanted to do his part and put a little more kindness into the world. And honestly, that’s exactly what it felt like.

It was such a reminder that Andy’s impact goes far beyond the people who knew him, and that there are complete strangers out there who care enough to show up in meaningful ways.

If you want to read more about why I’m running and what this means to me, you can find my ALS United page here: http://secure.alsunitedchicago.org/goto/kaitlynb

I feel really lucky to be part of this team, and to have the chance to honor Andy in this way, while supporting ALS United and the work they’re doing for individuals and families affected by ALS.