Walk to Keep Best Friends Alive!
To be honest, after Courtney passed away a year ago I had conflicted feelings about whether or not to continue supporting NBTS. In my grief, my first thought was, "Why, they couldn't save Courtney?" As I thought about that more, though, I realized how naive and short-sighted it was.
In reality, I met Courtney after she had already been dealing with the brain tumor for over a year. She had already had two brain surgeries and chemotherapy by the time we met at a Beach Boys concert in the summer of 2016. In the next few years, after yet another surgery and radiation, she got healthy again, and was living her best and most active life. During that time, our friendship developed and we made countless memories hiking, going to concerts, watching the Bachelor on her couch (and her yelling at me for dropping crumbs), doing our own half-marathon, and talking about anything and everything.
And, as I sit here in tears thinking of the joys we shared, I realize that all of these memories were possible because of advances in treatment made possible by the research of NBTS.
And she knew it too. That's why, no matter how terrible she felt, she spent so much of her time and energy supporting NBTS. She attended support groups, organized the Brain Freeze event that raised tens of thousands of dollars, told her story in NBTS videos, and even went to Washington DC to advocate to lawmakers for more cancer research funding. This wasn't a hobby to her - God knows she had enough of those :) - she did it because she knew that without the research and funding from NBTS, she wouldn't have had the treatments available to extend her life, get her healthy again, and make new memories. And friends, like me.
So I am participating in the NBTS walk in San Francisco this year, which she herself did many times. I'm doing it to continue her fight to find treatments for brain tumors, to honor her life, and remember the amazing friendship I had with her - made possible by the treatments funded through NBTS. If you have a few bucks you can contribute, I would certainly appreciate it. If not, I thank you for caring enough to read this far!
Until next time,
Josh
National Brain Tumor Society is fiercely committed to finding a cure for brain tumors. They are aggressively driving strategic research; advocating for public policies that meet the critical needs of the brain tumor community; and providing comprehensive patient, family and caregiver resources. Your support ensures this important work will continue.
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