A West Texas native who was diagnosed with the fast-progressing disease known as ALS—also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—has undertaken an epic journey to draw attention to the disease.
As People magazine reports, Rick Marks is currently hiking the final 600 miles of the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness and money for an ALS cure. Marks was born and raised in Plainview. After graduating from Texas Tech University, he moved to Boston, where he began a career in finance. Marks’s diagnosis in October came as a shock.
The avid mountain climber is a happily married father of two, and his wife Eileen has assisted him through this arduous journey.
You can follow Rick’s journey on his blog, at rickshikeforals.org,where he also hopes to raise $50,000 for research at ALS ONE.