Foundation Finds Friends on
the Yellow Brick Road

By Gail Mullin
BeHeadstrong.org

KANSAS CITY – The directions said “head east out of Iowa.  Turn south in Des Moines.  Follow I-35 straight down, and don’t miss the turnoff.  Take the Oz exit to Yellow Brick Road…”

“…and just follow the Yellow Brick Road.”

So it was that the Soul2Soul II tour, featuring country superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, made its way to Kemper Arena in Kansas City for their July 18 concert stop. 

For some, the fun started the night before.  BeHeadstrong, the outstanding Kansas City support group for brain tumor patients and caregivers, had prepared a fun-filled evening for members of the Tug McGraw Foundation.   The beHeadstrong board, their families, and local supporters hosted Foundation president Jennifer Brusstar and board member Jeff McMahon (also keyboardist for Tim McGraw’s band) for a night of pizza and games at a Kansas City bowling alley before the following night’s concert spectacular.

The bowling was fun, but still, the competition got a bit heated.  Much to McMahon's dismay, he suffered defeat at the hands of twelve-year-old Harrison Campbell, whose stepmom Kris Campbell was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago.  Kris, who led fundraising efforts generating $93,000 in 2005, enjoyed watching the two compete for "Incred-a-Bowl King" honors. 

“Well, I bet she did,” noted McMahon with a wink.  “I mean, her son won the crown!” 

Following the bowling, teams were quickly chosen for a frantic game of laser tag.  Despite the best efforts of all the competitors, Harrison remained unbeatable and dominated once again, retaining his kingly title for the rest of the night.

The next night held some excitement of its own.  Just prior to the concert, the beHeadstrong group attended a pre-show party event with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.  Survivors Rob Mullin, Becky Hazel, Mark Newsome, Tom Baldwin, Pete Gaumer, Kris Campbell and Hannah Uhrmacher were treated to the exclusive “show before the show” and then met the country-western stars backstage, hosted by Ms. Jennifer Brusstar. Five- year-old Hannah stole the hearts of everyone, including band members, security and the McGraw-Hill family. Hannah, diagnosed last year with germ-cell brain and spinal cord cancer especially enjoyed the chocolate treats provided by the tour sponsor, Hershey’s.

After enjoying the pre-show excitement, Hannah (with the help of her earplugs) blissfully slept through most of the concert in the arms of her mom, Lisa-Anne Uhrmacher.  But some claim that, even as Tim and Faith performed their final song of the evening, they could hear the vague whisper of the sleeping Hannah…

“…there’s no place like home.”

A special thanks goes out to Ms. Jennifer Brusstar for supporting beHeadStrong and making the evening a night to remember.  BeHeadStrong looks forward to another terrific evening as Ms. Brusstar and Mr. McMahon join us on September 30th, 2006 for the 2nd Annual beHeadstrong Dinner and Auction Party in Overland Park, Kansas.