Hi, folks. It's that time of year again. My name is Jake Fishman and this fundraiser is in honor and memory of my brother, Adam. Adam battled addiction and mental illness for years. On March 11, 2017, Adam died of a heroin/fentanyl overdose.

If you're reading this, you likely already know much of my brother's story. You may have even donated to my fundraisers in the past (thank you!). And you may have even had the good fortune to know Adam. He was a kind, intelligent, funny, and passionate person. Adam dealt with addiction from his late teens up until his death in 2017, two weeks before his 26th birthday. During his years-long struggle with addiction, Adam had periods of sobriety, some longer than others. He spent time in several rehabs, but only one stands out. Helping Up Mission was the one place that truly helped Adam find himself again and helped keep him sober the longest. When he left The Mission in June 2013, I recognized my brother for the first time in a long time.

Adam's turn for the worse occurred over the holidays in 2016/2017. The final two weeks of his life were spent in the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center where he received incredibly compassionate care. Upon discharge from UMMC on March 10, 2017, he had two weeks of sobriety under his belt and had reconnected with me, our mom, and our dad. All of us had communicated with him regularly while he was inpatient and we had begun to rebuild a relationship. He had plans to return to The Mission the following day, but he never made it there.

In 2021, 2022, and 2023, I ran varying distances in remembrance of his birthday and to honor his life and death. In 2025, the physical challenge changed to cycling and I completed a 12-hour ride in his memory. Each year, funds have been raised to donate to Helping Up Mission. To date, with everyone's generosity, we have been able to donate over $40,000 to Helping Up Mission.

Adam's story is tragically not unique. Addiction and mental illness are both far too stigmatized in our society, which does nothing to help end the crises. If you take nothing else from reading this, please help to end that stigma by talking about and confronting it.

Adam would be turning 35 on March 25th, 2025. I will again be undertaking a time challenge to ride as many miles as possible in a continuous 12-hour period. The ride is planned for Saturday, April 25, 2025. I have pushed it a little later past his birthday weekend this year to try and better ensure safer riding weather.

If you are interested in more details and possibly participating (either as sideline support or to ride some miles with me), please get in touch with me by sending me a message here or on Instagram (jfish99).

In the past, I ran rain, snow, or shine. However, running and cycling are a bit different in terms of weather risks, so potential weather dates will be announced if needed.

100% of the funds raised through this will go to Helping Up Mission in Adam's memory. Some of the funding may be used for specific programs at Helping Up Mission, including acupuncture treatments for those in recovery. You can read more about the HUM and the important work they do here: https://helpingupmission.org.