In September 2008, my brother, Sean (Stody), was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. He was 36 years old, had been married almost 15 years, and had an 11 year old daughter. My brother--the funny, talented, smart, caring, optimistic, adventurous guy who had helped teach me to swim, to ride a bike, to climb trees; who helped referee sister spats over Barbies; who had graciously taken our dog out for walks in the rain at our wedding; who taught me to appreciate beer (after I had my first one at age 33); who merged our GI Joes and Barbies to create a whole new world; who introduced me to so much of the music I love; who showed me the kind of parent I want to be--this amazing man was dying, and there was nothing we could do about it. He had surgery, chemo, radiation, the whole gamut of services to try to stop the tumor's growth, but all to no avail. On August 9, 2009, we lost him, 11 months after he was diagnosed. He was 37 years old. 2019 will be ten years since he's been gone, but he's still a part of my daily life, from funny things I'll remember, to something that I wish I could share with him now.

Brain tumors affect thousands of people every year, yet receive little attention publicly. Our goal is to help change that. Amazingly, my sister-in-law, Jill Power-Cross, was also diagnosed with a brain tumor around the same time. Thankfully, she is a survivor and still with us today, but she’s undergone numerous surgeries to manage the effects of her tumor.

I felt so helpless with my brother's circumstances, so I vowed to do whatever I could to help prevent this from happening to other families. For the past nine years, I have been heavily involved with the Bay Area Brain Tumor Walk, and the National Brain Tumor Society, from chairing the event for seven years, to advocating on behalf of the community both here in San Francisco and in Washington D.C. It's a cause we're very committed to supporting for life.

Each year we put on a fantastic, fun, and joyful day to honor and celebrate those with brain tumors, while raising much needed funds to help find a cure. Please come join us on Sunday, June 23rd at Crissy Field--bring the kids, some chairs, a picnic and spend a fun morning in a gorgeous setting with good friends for a great cause! Your donation and/or participation is much appreciated and instrumental towards helping us battle brain tumors!

Much love,
Pamela