Andrea was diagnosed with ALS in 2014 at age 33, less than a year after completing a half Ironman triathlon. In six months, she went from the strongest she’d ever been to walking with a cane. Her goal was to be the first person with ALS to do a marathon in all 50 states, which she completed in 2022! This journey is captured in a documentary called Go On, Be Brave, and her memoir, Hope Fights Back, the proceeds of both will go to ALS research.

Andrea has also encouraged her friends and family to take on a race that represented a challenge to them and raise money for ALS research. She called the group Team Drea. The movement has grown to more than 400 people doing everything from their first 5k to first Ironman. Andrea’s mission in life – in addition to finding a cure for ALS – is to encourage people to ‘be brave’ and appreciate what their bodies can do. 

At the end of 2016, Andrea formalized her efforts in the Team Drea Foundation, which has now raised more than $1.5 million for ALS research, primarily for ALS TDI and the Duke ALS Clinic. Andrea runs the day-to-day operations of the foundation in Raleigh, NC, and is a passionate advocate for clinical trial research, even though she no longer qualifies for most of them. 

Andrea has an undergraduate degree from Davidson College and a Master’s in City & Regional Planning from Georgia Tech. 

You can follow Andrea's journey by visiting her blog.