Remembering Brooke Eby ’10: Humor, Honesty and a Life That Reached Millions

Eby’s symptoms began in 2018. While rushing out of her office building into the Manhattan streets, she noticed a slight limp affecting her foot. What she initially believed was a minor injury stretched into a years-long medical journey. Her limp continued to worsen and physicians were mystified as they ran a myriad of tests. Four years later, in 2022, Eby was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. When she got the news, she was just 33 years old.

ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. It gradually reduces voluntary muscle control and eventually results in paralysis.

Shortly after receiving her diagnosis, Eby created social media accounts to raise awareness about the disease and advocate for increased research funding, and emerged as one of the most recognizable advocates for ALS in the U.S. She transformed her personal experience into a platform that educated hundreds of thousands, connected families affected by the disease and raised awareness of the urgent need for research and treatment advances.

Through videos that documented the realities of living with a terminal illness, she built a large and engaged following. Her content often balanced difficult conversations about disease progression with humor and self-deprecating wit.

“Levity is my superpower,” Eby told NBC’s Today show.

“I was so sorry to learn of Brooke’s passing,” said Lehigh President Joseph J. Helble ’82. “I had the privilege of spending some time with her at Lehigh events the past few years. Seeing her talk and laugh with Lehigh friends and with her family, it was so clear how her courage, determination and sense of humor helped her bring together a compassionate and dedicated group of followers and advocates for ALS support, resources, and research. She was such a wonderful and joyful person, and someone making a positive difference in the lives of so many.”

Eby served as keynote speaker at the 2025 Soaring Together Women’s Summit, speaking to Development and Alumni Relations Vice President Carol Packard. Said Packard, “Brooke embodied what it means to be a Lehigh alum. She was bold, quick witted, resilient, and with infectious humor advocated for herself and others suffering from ALS. It was an honor to know her and we are sorry to have lost her all too soon.”

“Brooke left a permanent mark on every heart in attendance at our Soaring Together Summit,” says Morgan Nelson '19G, senior director of strategic engagement. “Her words brought us to tears, her sense of humor brought us to laughter, and her immense courage left us all completely inspired."

The gift for connection was evident long before her diagnosis. After graduating in 2010, she built a successful career in sales and partnerships, eventually joining Salesforce, where she continued to work through the early onset of symptoms, as ALS reshaped her daily life.

Recognizing the isolation many patients and caregivers experience in the wake of an ALS diagnosis, Eby founded ALStogether (now part of the ALS Network), an online community designed to connect patients and caregivers with resources, support and each other. She also partnered with the Little Words Project to benefit the ALS community.

As her audience organically grew, Brooke leveraged her platform to establish meaningful partnerships. In 2025, she collaborated with the brand Silverts to develop clothing for individuals with mobility challenges. The functional capsule line, called the B.E. Collection, featured stylish adaptive pieces like open-back dresses and tops, towel capes and bibs. A portion of the proceeds were donated to Team Gleason, a nonprofit organization that supports people living with ALS and funds research efforts.

Eby is survived by her father, Cliff Eby ’73, mother Eugenia L. Eby P’05 P’10, brother Chris Eby ’05 and his wife, Catherine, and sister Sarah Eby, M.D.