Two years ago, two things happened within a few days of each other. I retired from 3Cloud going on full time disability due to ALS, and I was awarded my first Microsoft MVP award. Retirement was a huge nail in the coffin for my career in data. I still produced more Fabric 5 videos which helped me earn the award. Now I’m giving up my MVP award after only two years.
ALS diagnosis and my MVP award
I received my official ALS diagnosis in September 2022, but by the previous fall, it was pretty clear that I had ALS. I didn’t know how much longer I could work. ALS progresses differently for everyone. My symptoms started in my hands and arms. 3Cloud supported me through it all. I decided it was time to retire due to fatigue and speech difficulties.
In early 2024, Kristyna Ferris and Chris Wagner nominated me for an MVP award with support from Paul Turley. I submitted my community contributions which were heavily focused on Microsoft Fabric. I was awarded the Data Platform Microsoft MVP in June 2024.
The award was bittersweet. My ALS had progressed far enough that my ability to travel was greatly hampered. This meant I couldn’t go to events like the MVP Summit in person. While I attended online and learned much, I wasn’t able to build those relationships that in person attendance fosters. I also missed the unique opportunity to attend with my daughter, a fellow MVP.
I continued to present and create Fabric 5 videos until my extended hospital stay in early 2025. It took about six months to recover. ALS sucks!
My decision is right, not easy
In early 2026, I had to evaluate my contributions or lack thereof. I fell behind on all things Fabric during 2025. Not only was I no longer contributing to the community, but I wasn’t attending product team meetings or MVP Summit. I had effectively checked out.
I knew there was a chance that I could still be renewed, I chose not to try. I didn’t want to take a spot from someone who has earned it. You see, this was not the first time I had been nominated. I was nominated in 2012 and 2013 for my work with SQL Server and Analysis Services. Microsoft rejected my nominations because the program was full.
Even though it is one more thing I am giving up in my data career, I am not seeking a renewal of my MVP award. I really wish I could have contributed to the program longer. ALS has taken this from me, and it makes me sad.
If you are an MVP or a member of an advisory committee at Microsoft or another vendor, don’t be a passive participant. You have an obligation to actively engage the product and engineering teams. You are invited to those meetings to give feedback as an active user of the product in the field. One of my biggest pet peeves is passive participation.
Thank you
I want to express my sincere thanks again to Chris, Kristyna, and Paul for nominating me for the award. Thanks to Rie Merritt and the Microsoft team for finding me worthy and making it possible to join this great group of people. Thank you to the many product teams for taking time to share what they are working on and allowing us the opportunity to engage with them. Even though my time was short in the program, I greatly appreciated the opportunity!
What’s next for me
Well, to start with, I don’t plan to quit the data community. I started a new blog series here called Ramblings of a retired data architect. When you’re retired you can really speak your mind. What am I going to do? Fire myself? Ha! I plan to enjoy it. I also will participate in T-SQL Tuesday and review books. I haven’t forgotten everything.
There is also this little website I created. It’s like a small business. I keep busy maintaining it and adding new content. I have become a web designer which is a far cry from a data architect.
I also volunteer in the ALS community, including becoming a Bridging Voice Ambassador. As you can see, I keep busy.