Attorney David Peet is at his wife’s side in ALS battle

David and Andrea Peet at home in Raleigh with their cat, Bailey. Photo/Teri Saylor

THE GIFT OF TIME

North Carolina attorney David Peet is at his wife’s side as they seek to raise $1M for ALS research

B y t eri S aylor

On a damp, chilly day last May in a remote Alaskan outpost on Prince of Wales Island, a group of spectators could not hold back their tears after witnessing Andrea Peet cross an important finish line. It was the final finish in her quest to complete a marathon in all 50 states.

For Andrea it was more than a marathon finish. It was the culmination in a journey to live her best life and be brave in the face of a disease that has robbed her of so much.

Andrea has ALS.

And with her celebration on May 28 in Alaska, she became the first athlete with ALS to be a 50-state marathon finisher.

The Alaska race was originally scheduled as her 21st marathon in the spring of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted those plans said David Peet, Andrea’s husband, who is an attorney in Raleigh.

“We told the race organizers right before we made the trip that it was going to be number 50,” he said in a recent interview at the couple’s home. “This wasn’t just a stop along the way but the culmination of the entire goal, so it was a really meaningful race.”

The two weren’t alone. They traveled to the tiny island in the Alaska panhandle with an entourage of their closest friends and family.

“We had 50 people who came out with us, and they just embraced us,” Andrea said.

Before Andrea was diagnosed with ALS, she and David were young professionals living in Washington, D.C. where he was a senior associate attor-

David and Andrea Peet enjoy a moment together at a race. Photo/David and Andrea Peet

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ney in the White Collar Practice Group at Ropes & Gray. An urban planner with a master’s degree from Georgia Tech, Andrea was a senior program manager with STAR Communities, a job she loved.

David grew up in Philadelphia. Andrea’s roots are in Raleigh. The two met as undergraduates at Davidson College.

An avid runner, Andrea was conquering her goals, running dozens of races, and competing in triathlons, including a half-Ironman–a combination of swimming, biking, and running for a total of 70.2 miles. But in 2013, she began noticing subtle mobility problems that started in her hands. Running, then walking became more difficult. She began slurring her speech.

In 2014, she received her ALS diagnosis. She was 33 years old.

Several months prior, Peet had signed up for a fall sprint triathlon. When the time came to do it, she could still swim, and she could walk with assistance. But she could no longer balance on a bike, so she bought a recumbent trike.

The triathlon was an arduous journey. Nevertheless, she finished the race.

“That triathlon changed everything,” Andrea said.

It was the turning point that convinced her to stay active and keep racing as long as possible. She began a comprehensive training routine that included Pilates, weightlifting and trike riding, which she maintains today.

After Andrea’s diagnosis, the Peets moved to North Carolina where she could be closer to her family and her neurologist at Duke Health, Dr. Richard Bedlack.

“Ropes & Gray was accommodating and flexible,” David said. “I would go up to D.C. to meet with my team, and the nature of my practice allowed me to continue to work with my clients virtually.”

Eventually, he wanted to get back into an office environment and joined K&L Gates, where he eventually made partner. In January 2022, he joined the in-house legal team at Red Hat, a software company in downtown Raleigh.

The Peets live independently with no caregivers or outside help. Andrea is still mobile with the aid of a walker, and David is her chief caregiver when she needs assistance.

Along the way, he has learned what it takes to build a career while caring for a loved one, acknowledging that while it’s challenging, it is a role many professional women take on, and it can impact any family member. He wants to others to understand the give and take of being a working professional while having family obligations at home.

“There is nothing new or different about these issues,” he said. “There are lots of women who, during their careers, have had to balance their careers when starting families, it’s just that in our case, the challenges were neither anticipated nor planned for, and the final outcome won’t be a happy ending.”

Through difficult trials, ALS has brought the couple closer and deepened their marriage.

“This is the tough part, but it’s also the most important part and the best part,” David said. “The reality of ALS is that every day that Andrea is still here is her best day, but she continues to get worse, and that’s really hard and while that doesn’t make this a positive

Andrea Peet celebrates finishing her 50-state marathon journey on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska on May 28, 2022. Photo/Andrea and David Peet

Andrea Peet has a room dedicated to her races. On this wall are the medals she received for finishing a marathon in all 50 states. Photo/Teri Saylor

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story, it certainly makes you value every day in the time you have.”

And for all the successes, the inspiration, and achievements the Peets have accomplished, David insists they’re not setting out to build a narrative that is all sunshine and rainbows.

“I think we’re really just reacting organically to the situation in front of us,” he said. “And Andrea is a uniquely determined and positive person, even in the face of profound loss.”

For people with ALS, it is impossible to put a time limit on their lives. Everyone is different, experts say. But statistics show most patients have a life span of three to five years after the onset of symptoms. Andrea is entering her ninth year after her diagnosis.

She has finished the first draft of a memoir and remains motivated to keep pushing forward.

“I have been given the gift of time that most people with ALS don’t get,” she said. “I am positive and grateful because I know how bad this disease is, and I consider that every day that I can get on my trike is a good day.”

Bedlack attributes much of Andrea’s success to her husband’s support, both physically and emotionally.

“David’s support is critical,” he said. “As tough and motivated as Andrea is, without a spouse who is devoted and willing to help and encourage her unusual goals, I’m not sure she would be as successful.”

In 2015, a year after Andrea’s diagnosis, she created “Team Drea,” after friends told her she had inspired them to take on their own big challenges. She encouraged them to use those challenges as opportunities to raise awareness and funding for ALS research. In October 2016, the Peets converted Team Drea into a 501(c)(3) foundation, building on the momentum she had created and to invest in promising research. David chairs its board of directors.

Today, the foundation has raised $1 million. It supports the ALS Therapy Development Institute, a prominent non-profit biotech firm focusing on pre-clinical research, and ALS research at Duke University, where Bedlack is directing cutting-edge research on alternative treatments for ALS.

Bedlack has treated over 4,000 ALS patients over his 22-year career and has learned no two patient outcomes are alike.

“The advice I give my patients is to always focus on today,” he said in a phone interview. “I encourage them to remember they can continue to live amazing lives in the time they have left.”

Andrea, who has been living with ALS for nearly a decade, represents the future Bedlack is striving for. He is also studying the rare cases of ALS reversal, where symptoms have disappeared. His team is opening new clinical trials in 2023, and moving as fast as possible, he said.

“In my work, I focus on the outliers like Andrea and study what is different

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The Peets have tattoos of swallows on their arms, a symbol of honor, faith, love and hope. Photo/Teri Saylor

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about them,” he said. “My goal is to stop or reverse this disease, and while I know it is a longshot, I continue to swing for the fences.”

Andrea was well into her 50-state marathon quest when Covid 19 shut down the racing scene for over a year. And for someone with ALS, a year can be a devastating set-back. Still, she persevered and continued training on her trike, pedaling loops around her neighborhood cul-de-sac. When racing came back, she did too.

The Peets laugh when they describe their journey to Montana in 2021 for the Frank Newman Marathon from Bozeman to Livingston. She had a big finish.

Her journey started with a steep seven-mile climb to the top of a mountain–about 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

That kind of climb is hard enough on two feet, but for someone with ALS pedaling a recumbent trike, it took all Andrea had to make it to the summit.

“I was very slow, and it took me twoand-a-half hours to go the first seven miles,” she said. “I was dead last in the race when I got to the top.”

Her reward came in the last 19 miles – all downhill.

“Andrea nearly gave me a panic attack,” David said. “She was going 30 miles an hour down that mountain all the way to the finish line.”

Between bursts of laughter, Andrea added, “I did the last 19 miles in 80 minutes and finished the race in second place overall.”

Lately, Andrea has noticed the subtle changes in her body that signal her disease is continuing to progress. She and David are forging ahead, and 2023 is shaping up to be a dynamic year, fueled by a feature-length documentary scheduled for release next spring.

Go On, Be Brave, tells the story of Andrea’s audacious marathon goal and it was a collaborative process between the Peets and a team of filmmakers.

“We’re targeting film festivals around the country, and it will debut at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2023,” David said. “We’ll be doing film festivals during the first half of the year and a screening tour in the second half, and we’ll be making our North Carolina debut at the Carolina Theatre next June.”

Currently, the Peets are executing the film’s distribution plan and marketing it as an awareness and fundraising tool for the Team Drea Foundation. The trailer is available for viewing on the foundation’s website at www.teamdrea.org.

When Andrea crossed the finish line in Alaska, her doctor was among those waiting for her at the finish line. Someone snapped their picture, and she keeps it in a frame on a wall with her medals and other marathon memorabilia.

“He told me if I made it that far, he would be there to see it,” she said.

Bedlack laughed when he remembered that conversation.

“Andrea was my first ALS marathoner and she set a lofty goal, so I promised I would help her in any way I could, including being there for her at her final finish line,” he said.

But Bedlack never considered that keeping his promise would mean traveling all the way to a remote island in Alaska. It was worth everything when he saw her cross the finish line.

“I couldn’t hold the tears back,” he said. “Even as her disease progresses, she remains an incredible inspiration.”

For the doctor who is devoting his life to helping people with little hope, patients like Andrea give him hope. He cherishes that photo of himself with Andrea in Alaska.

“I keep that picture of me and Andrea on my desk, and it recharges my batteries every time I look at it,” he said.

Teri Saylor is a freelance writer in Raleigh, N.C.

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