My Story: Why I’m Running the Dopey Challenge for OAR

When I decided to take on the Dopey Challenge, I knew I wanted to do it for something bigger than myself. For me, that “something” is my daughter.

Since 5th grade, my daughter has struggled deeply with her mental health. She experienced panic attacks before school, couldn’t tolerate the noise of the cafeteria, and wrestled with assignments and deadlines. Friendships were difficult to maintain, and over time her confidence crumbled. She began to believe that she wasn’t smart, that she had no talent, and that who she was simply wasn’t “enough.”

At every turn, we were told she was just anxious or depressed, and that we, as her parents, were the only ones who saw a problem. But I knew in my heart there was more going on.

That clarity came when I, at 41, was finally diagnosed with ADHD after a lifetime of masking. Suddenly, I saw myself in her—and I realized that her struggles weren’t just about anxiety. They were rooted in neurodivergence.

We fought hard to get my daughter the evaluations she needed. And in July 2025, everything clicked into place: she was diagnosed with ADHD, autism, giftedness, anxiety, and depression. Far from being devastating, the diagnosis was freeing. It gave us the missing puzzle pieces. It gave her—and us—understanding.

I didn’t cry when we got the results. I celebrated. Because there is nothing “wrong” with my child. She is brilliant, creative, resilient, and one of the most amazing humans I know. What she needed wasn’t “fixing”—it was recognition, support, and acceptance.

And in learning all of this about her, I also learned more about myself. As I’ve studied how autism can present differently in girls and women, I’ve come to see myself reflected in those experiences. I haven’t been formally tested, but I believe I, too, am on the autism spectrum. I run not only for my daughter, but for myself—for every girl and woman who has gone undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood.

That’s why I’m running for the Organization for Autism Research. I run for everyone who masks so well that their struggles go unseen. I run to help create a world where research, education, and compassion open doors for autistic individuals and their families.

My daughter and I deserve a world that sees us fully, values us wholly, and celebrates us exactly as we are. And with every mile of the Dopey Challenge, I will run to make that world a reality.