Days after his second daughter was born, 37-year-old Yale graduate Brian Wallach '03 was diagnosed with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It is a fatal disease that robs the sufferer of successive physical abilities—but not cognition—on the way to death. Wallach, then a lawyer with the US Attorney's office, was told he might not survive six months. While there was never a silver lining, Wallach and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya, who had met while working on Obama's 2008 campaign, determined that they could, at least, take on the fight for a cure. They wanted to figure out how to offer support to others who have the same disease, but fewer resources. Wallach and Abrevaya launched a nonprofit they named I AM ALS, set a fundraising goal of $100 million, and went to work, leveraging their networks and professional expertise. Diagnosed in 2017, Wallach has already outlived his original prognosis. But his physical abilities are waning, even as he focuses his considerable will on his remaining time with his daughters, now toddlers, and his efforts to fight for himself and others struggling with a diagnosis that remains a death sentence.
From the Judges
Excellent care was taken in this feature to preserve human dignity, while also walking through the depths of human pain and tragedy, hope and ingenuity. All of this shows in the piece.
