My Why
On October 28, 2023, I lost my younger brother, Matt, to suicide.
He wasn't just another statistic.
He was my little brother.
We grew up in small-town Wisconsin. We built forts, rode bikes, played video games until our parents told us to go outside, argued over whose turn it was, watched movies until we could quote every line, and imagined entire worlds together.
He loved books, dragons, pandas, fantasy, and stories. He had one of those laughs that could fill a room.
Then one day, he was gone.
Suicide doesn't only take one life.
It leaves parents without a son.
Friends without a friend.
Communities asking impossible questions.
And brothers carrying conversations that will never get to happen.
I know there are thousands of families carrying that same weight right now.
Some have already experienced this loss.
Others don't know they're only one phone call away from it.
I can't bring Matt back.
But I can make sure his life continues to create hope.
Fall to spring this year or next, I'm attempting one of the hardest endurance challenges in North America: completing the entire 800-mile Arizona Trail in just 12 days (a FKT/world record). That means averaging nearly 67 miles every day through mountains, desert, heat, cold, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and everything Arizona has to throw at me.
The physical challenge is enormous.
But it is nothing compared to what families endure after losing someone they love.
Every mile I run is for someone who is struggling.
Every mountain is for someone carrying grief.
Every blister is for a family learning how to breathe again.
My goal isn't simply to finish.
My goal is to raise $1,000,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention so more people can receive the education, research, advocacy, and support they need before another family gets the phone call mine received.
If you've ever lost someone...
If you've ever battled depression yourself...
If someone showed up for you when you needed hope...
Please consider being part of this mission.
Whether it's $10, $100, or simply sharing this campaign, you become part of every mile.
Matt's story doesn't have to end with his death.
Together, we can help write a different ending for someone else.
