Help Gamze raise money

When I was 17, studying for university exams in a small town in Turkey, I watched my father lose his battle with ALS. Within a year of his diagnosis, he had lost his ability to speak and to walk.

 He spent his final months in hospital, and then at home with around-the-clock care. My mother held our family together through it all — and somehow, she helped me understand that grief and love are the same thing.

Years have passed, but that experience never left me. I still feel it every time I hear of another family going through what we went through.

This October, I’m running the half marathon in honour of my father and every family living with ALS today. I’m raising funds for the ALS Society of Canada, which supports patients, caregivers, and the research that could one day change everything for families like mine.

If my story moves you even a little, please consider donating. Every dollar brings us closer to a world where no 17-year-old has to say goodbye too soon.