Please support my fundraising efforts to honor my Uncle Matt in supporting the Brain Tumor Foundation (BTF) for the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon Fundraising. No donation is too small. Please click on the donate button!
Brain Tumor Foundation
BTF is a non-profit organization that guides and supports patients and families during the turbulent times when their lives are touched by a brain tumor. Funds raised by/for BTF are allocated to strategic programs such as patient and family support groups, informational events, webinars, and E-Newsletters. Furthermore, BTF emphasizes the criticality of early detection through an unprecedented, nationwide initiative by bringing mobile their Mobile MRI Unit to offer free brain scans, especially to underserved communities. Over the past years, the Mobile MRI Unit, a 70' tractor trailer, has visited cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Las Vegas. The findings from these cities were alarming - showing that 4.1% were abnormal and acute abnormal results - many more than anticipated.
BTF is now spearheading research with Weill Cornell Medicine I New York-Presbyterian. The images from the Mobile MRI Unit are sent to Weill Cornell where they are read by radiologists and then analyzed by our team of neurologists, neurosurgeons and neuro-oncologists. The goal being the research examining the brainscans of thousands of individuals will shed new light on early detection and prevention of this dreaded disease and make treatment more effective when caught early. The most recent expansion of the Early Detection program has seen the expansion of relationships with fixed radiology centers across the country to make low cost MRI brain scans available to the public.
Through early detection, BTF strives to change the conversation from a frightening diagnosis of, "You have a brain tumor," to a less determinate and hopeful discussion of, "You have a brain tumor. I can help."
Personal Story
BTF and its purpose hold a special place in my heart. On January 20, 2006, my freshman year of college, my Uncle Matt died suddenly at 53 years old of an undetected brain tumor. At the time of Uncle Matt's death, he had been training to run the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham only three and a half weeks later on February 12, 2006. I now intend to see out the marathon journey that he was not able to finish.
Uncle Matt truly was the kind of person who was loved and admired by all. He was a loving husband and father to his two children. He knew no strangers. His eclectic personality ranged somewhere between Dr. Jason Seaver from Growing Pains and Bob Saget in real life with a dash of Jeff Foxworthy on top. Uncle Matt always had the most outlandish, imaginative, and entertaining stories to tell, and if you weren’t careful, he’d find a way to pull a silly prank on you when you were least expecting it. Having grown up very close with my him and the rest of my family, losing Uncle Matt was nothing short of devasting.
After the dust settled, my family members were more attentive to changes going on with their body. Not long after, a MRI identified a brain tumor in my Aunt Shaun. This was a surprising development given Aunt Shaun was only related to Uncle Matt by marriage. Because of early detection and treatment, today my sweet Aunt Shaun is alive and thriving. She has watched her three children grow into adulthood, and she is very much looking forward to being a first-time grandmother in June 2022. Much like the Brain Tumor Foundation preaches, early detection saves lives, and my Aunt Shaun is living proof.
Running a marathon for someone like me wouldn’t be an individual accomplishment. Instead, it’s a testament to my family, my support system, and all the role models in my life that we can encourage, persevere, and achieve more together than we ever could on our own. In my experience with brain tumors, this is also true; together we go far. It is a privilege to participate in this challenge in honor of my Uncle Matt and my Aunt Shaun while helping raise awareness and funds for the Brain Tumor Foundation.
