Editor’s note: Brooke Eby, a Montgomery County resident who documented her life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on social media, died Thursday at age 37, according to the national nonprofit ALS Association. In her memory, Bethesda Magazine and Bethesda Today are republishing two stories written about her.
Bethesda Magazine’s 2023 Women Who Inspire
“Hi. I’m Brooke, and I was given the terminal diagnosis of ALS.”
That’s how Brooke Eby, 34, of North Bethesda starts most of her Instagram stories and TikToks. But the words are hard to reconcile with the vibrant young woman on the screen.
Since being diagnosed in March 2022 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Eby has become one of the most upbeat faces to represent a progressive neuromuscular disorder with few treatments, no cure and certain death. And she has used her positive attitude, charisma and social media acumen to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars—and counting—for ALS research…