Thread by @bsw5020

I went to a funeral for a great man today at which three beautiful eulogies were given. Two lines in particular resonated with me, and led to this Sunday night thread.

The first: life is not a straight line.

12 years ago this week, I turned 27. That week I was in New Hampshire.

I was the Deputy Political Director for The Obama Campaign in NH. The primary was months away but I was a wreck because I would find out if I passed the New York Bar exam and could practice law after the campaign.

8 years ago, I turned 31. I sat in my office at the White House.

I had been in the White House for just 5 months and still felt like any day someone would realize they made a mistake and kick me out.

4 years ago, I turned 35. I sat in our house in Chicago, holding our months old daughter in my arms. As she slept I thought about her future.

It was limitless. I also thought about my trials coming up. I had my dream job as an Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting violent gangs. I had everything I ever hoped for.

2 years ago, I turned 37. I held my second daughter in my arms. This time my arms twitched as I held her.

I thought about her future and wondered if I would be there. ALS has entered our lives just months before. The future was terrifying, a blur of fear and despair.

This is where the second line from the funeral comes in: if you want something, lay all your chips on the table.

If you want something go all in.

This week, I turn 39. As I sit here typing this, we are all in on this fight. You see, I want to be a part of the community that ends ALS. To make this real, we will hold nothing back.

When I was diagnosed I was told I wouldn’t see 39. I believed then that I would prove those doctors wrong.

What I didn’t know was that we would also be a part of driving a cure closer to reality than ever before. That our fight for a cure would be part of so many other fights.

That if we cured ALS, we could help cure Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS and so many other neurological diseases.

I had no idea how many suffered in silence or on their own. How many yearned for community and hope.

I had no idea how powerful an outstretched band could be.

This birthday, 10.9.19, I lay all my cards on the table.

At 11 am we will march from the Chicago Water Tower to the Wrigley Building. Wearing kilts. Declaring that we have ALS, but that together we will cure it.

You see, I don’t want the first words of my eulogy to be:

“He died too young.”

I want them to be, “He inspired us to dream. He was part of a movement that made the impossible real. And he had so many years to make amazing memories with his incredible wife and girls.”

So now that my cards are all out on the table I have one ask:

For my 39th birthday, I would love to cross 10,000 followers. 10,000 souls sharing this journey. Helping make the impossible real. I never thought I would be on twitter. Never thought I would be able to make this ask.

But here we are. Life is not a straight line. That’s okay because we are in it together. And together, we will make hope real.

#LoveYouLoveThisLife

I put down my phone after sending out this thread and just picked it up. As I read through the replies and saw the response, I literally burst into tears. The hope y’all create is so real and so powerful. I am humbled by you, so grateful for you and so inspired by you.

#Hope

I woke up this morning, had breakfast with our girls and got them ready for school. Then, armed with coffee, I opened twitter.

I just stared. Speechless. Then I scrolled. Still speechless. Then I started smiling and have not stopped. As I read, my smile grew and tears formed.

As I read, I heard Paul Kalanithi’s words echoing in my head, “even if I’m dying, until I actually die, I am still living.”

Today, I am humbled and grateful to be alive. To have been brought together in some small way with each of you. We got some amazing work to do, together