My husband, Mark Freed, is the unsung hero of our little family.

He is a symbol of strength and unconditional love, not just for me and our children, but to everyone around him. On my worst days, he is the calm “voice of reason,” and on my best days, he’s the first to celebrate. Maxwell and Riley’s faces light up with pure joy when he walks through the door at night. Riley immediately asks him to “wrestle” because she wants to be thrown in the air and have her belly tickled.

Mark has made a Friday afternoon tradition of driving her or Maxwell around in the golf cart for an hour while plying them with pretzels and milkshakes, and our friends are always happy to let a golf foursome turn into a golf 4.5-some! Mark has even gotten the twins interested in golf, Penn State football, and watching him smoke meats in the “Green Egg.” Mark loves Maxwell and Riley with his entire soul and is happy to work hard to provide them with a good life, all while demanding very little in return. Toddler smooches and an “I love you, Daddy!” are sufficient for him.

I receive lots of accolades for my accomplishments in driving the treatment forward for Maxwell and other children like him, and many of those accolades come from Mark. In reality, Mark and I are equal partners in this battle for our son–he’s just the quieter half. He’s the person I rely upon emotionally, who kisses the twins’ boo-boos while juggling work, parenthood, and SLC6A1 Connect. I don’t know how he does it! So today, we celebrate our wonderful hero, husband and father, Mark Freed!

 We love you, Marky!