My father grew up in poverty in a Middle Eastern country. Some nights he and his family didn't have food to eat. He knew there was a better life out there and he was determined to make it for himself. He had just under $100 in his pocket when he legally came to America, alone at the age of 17. He taught himself English and enrolled in college. He worked multiple jobs at once (on top of being a full time student) to put himself through school, including a night shift at a grocery mart where the manager allowed him to take home hotdogs with expiration dates that had passed. He lived off of those expired hotdogs on his journey to graduating at the top of his class. He lived in a tiny studio with no furniture because it was good enough for him and it was all he could afford. He then was admitted to business school where he earned a dual MBA with a Masters in finance, again graduating at the top of his class. He married my mom (an American woman) and went to run a very successful oil and petrochemical company in Houston. He brought me and my siblings to his office as children to show us what was possible through hard work. It was those same days he taught us to treat everyone equally. He was a white collar CEO who would stop and thank the janitor for a hard days work and chat with the valet attendant in the parking garage before loading us all into the backseat and heading home. He  taught us nothing is ever handed to you, you must work your ass off tirelessly until you get it. He would tell you that the best day of his life was when he became an American Citizen. But, it is with great sadness that he lost his life to Alzheimer's in January 2023.

Please consider supporting my team for the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's®, the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research in my Fathers honor. 

Thank you so much.