Dear Friends! 

 BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, I WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW THIS YEAR'S BRAIN TUMOR WALK IS SATURDAY,JUNE 8TH AT THE SAN FRANCISCO ZOO. ALL REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ALLOWED  TO WANDER THROUGH THE ZOO ALL DAY AT YOUR OWN PACE. IT WILL BE A "FREEFORM" EVENT! LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS WAS DONE AND I HAVE TO ADMIT IT WAS VERY FAMILY FRIENDLY!! Bring a picnic it you wish, the parking lot is easily accessible!

 As many of you know our daughter, MacKenzie was diagnosed with brain cancer in the fall of 2010. She had just passed the California BAR and was ready to begin her adult life when she suffered a massive seizure and an MRI  revealed a cancerous tumor in the right front hemisphere of her brain. We were told that it may have taken years for this to develop and it finally presented itself as a seizure. 

Four days later, we were  extremely fortunate to have her tumor resected at  UCSF, one of the top neuro-oncology centers in the country. The resection caused extreme paralysis of her entire body but especially MacKenzie’s left side. So she spent the next six weeks at Herrick Hospital in Berkeley undergoing physical and occupational therapy. She had to  learn how to walk, tie her shoes and everything else that requires communication between your body and your brain. Re-wiring the brain is an intense process, but she powered through it and began moving on with her life with her life partner, Mike.

Of course cancer is not that simple and there are no easy solutions. In 2013 a “routine” MRI revealed that there may be a reoccurrence of the cancer in that same area of the brain. It was caught early but necessitated a frightful five week regimen of radiation which resulted in other issues. It was a reminder to all of us that cancer will always be a part of our new reality. A few years later she underwent chemo resulting in the loss of her fabulous mane of red hair, but this grew back and she continued on with her life.

In 2016, MacKenzie and Mike were fortunate enough to have a little red-headed son, Felix. He is now a rambunctious  eight  year old enjoying second grade, baseball, basketball and his young brother, Max. As for Bill and myself having these bundles of cuteness in our  lives is beyond thrilling. We head to the southland at any opportunity.

I am again asking you to help support the National Brain Tumor Society In its annual donation drive. The NBTS is an organization which tirelessly advocates on behalf of brain cancer patients and survivors and provides much needed funding for research.  It also offers support to families whose loved one has received a tumor diagnosis. To donate, or join us for the walk, GO TO:  http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/goto/MacChallenge2024.

THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU!!!! XOXOOX, Penny