A quiet thank you.

Today I learned that Marianne Leenaerts, Co-founder and CEO of the Primary Aldosteronism Foundation, passed away last week.

In October, she was the very first person outside of my family to read Misdiagnosed for Miles. After finishing it, she emailed me and asked to meet over Zoom. I didn’t know what to expect. I had no idea she was terminally ill—maybe she didn’t either at that time. All I knew was that she cared enough to reach out and listen.

We spoke for almost an hour, and it’s a conversation I’ll never forget. She talked about the Foundation’s mission to raise awareness, to educate the medical community, and to make accurate testing for primary aldosteronism a priority—not an afterthought. She saw the same gaps I had lived through, and she was doing something about it.

Today I found out that she personally donated $90,000 toward PA research. I don’t know if that happened before or after our conversation, and I don’t know whether she already knew how sick she was. But either way, that gift says everything about who she was.

She didn’t just co-found a foundation—she moved it forward with heart, urgency, and purpose.

I feel incredibly lucky that our paths crossed, even for just one Zoom call. And I’m grateful for the work she did, and the impact she made—not just on me, but on so many others who are still out there waiting for answers.

Rest in peace, Marianne. Thank you.