“I’m a competitive runner and I’ve been trying to get in this race in Alaska called Mt. Marathon. In 1 mi you cover 3,022 ft of vertical. It’s steep and treacherous. I found out in March that I got into my dream race. I was scheduled to have a safety meeting on July 4th. On July 3rd I fell into a 6min seizure. I remember falling into it but I don’t remember anything after that.”

“I didn’t get to run my dream race the next day and I started seeing a specialist so they could figure out what was wrong. They told me there was a tumor on the right frontal lobe of my brain. My doctor told me she was going through the exact same thing with her father and he went to UCSF in San Francisco to get treated. Getting her as a doctor was the silver lining in all this because she actually knew what I need to get help.”

“My surgeon operated and got most of the tumor but tumors are like jellyfish with legs so there are still microscopic cells in there and that’s what we’re targeting right now. That’s why we turned to YouCaring. A girlfriend back home started the page for me. It’s great because it gives people a place to contribute and they don’t take any fees. I was embarrassed at first because I didn’t want to ask people for money but I didn’t realize the severity of my situation. I’ve learned that people really want to help, and we’ve learned how to let people help.”

“How do you do that?”

“Just accept it. Just receive.”     

“What’s one of your favorite parts of her being?”

“She’s an amazing mother. I travel for work and I’m gone for 2 weeks at a time. She only has me there with the 4 boys part of the time. She raises them and still finds time to have friends, and go on her runs, and still take care of me when I get home. I also admire the way she treats other people. She’s such  bright spot in everyone’s lives.

“What’s one of your favorite parts of him?”

“First and foremost he’s a phenomenal dad and partner. He’s been running with me to make sure I’m okay because I can’t be by myself in case something happens. I was happy this diagnosis was me and not him because he needs to be with the kids. He makes me laugh so much.”

“I just want to focus on all the love and support we’ve gotten and focus on being as healthy as possible.”

See their YouCaring campaign HERE