“Local Man Participating in Chicago Marathon to Support ALS Patient”

MONTICELLO, Ill. (WCIA) — Trevor Storm is running for those who can’t. The patient care manager at Town Square Hospice had never lasted more than a few miles until recently, but now he has his sights set on the Chicago Marathon.

He credits his patient, Greg, for the new-found motivation. Greg was diagnosed with ALS several years ago and has slowly lost much of his mobility.

“He was always such an independent person — very handy, able to fix a lot of things, enjoyed working on cars, grilling, golfing, camping,” Storm said. “ALS kind of robbed him of that.”

Storm admitted he didn’t know much about the disease until he started helping to care for Greg. While every case has its differences, Storm said Greg’s story is particularly inspiring. 

“Just knowing every day, he gets up to make that choice to be better, to be positive and to keep fighting, that fight helps me to keep training,” Storm said. 

Between work and running between his kids’ sports practices, it can be challenging to go the distance. Storm said he gets miles in either before the sun comes up or late at night when the summer heat cools off. 

Storm has months of training ahead. Whenever his legs get tired or he wants to stop, he said he thinks back to Greg and what the big day will mean for both of them.

“We talk about it a lot when I go to see him,” Storm said. “I think he’s super proud to be a part of that and also for me to be able to share his story.” 

Storm said Greg and his family are hoping to make it to Chicago for race day in October. In the meantime, Storm is working to collect money for ALS awareness. He’s already raised more than $2,700 towards his $5,000 goal.