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| Heroes: Todd Dempsey |
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Wades Baptist Church in Screven County, Georgia has never had more than twenty people attend at once in the past fifteen years but brain tumor survivor, Warren “Kyle” Jeffers testimony would change all that by reviving hope with words and a band called Bent But Not Broken. Read Kyle’s letter of hope to TMF.
Read the full story. |
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| Heroes: Todd Dempsey |
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“As he steps to the green, lining up a 15-foot putt with thousands of dollars on the line, Todd Dempsey remains as cool as the other side of the pillow. Pressure? To Dempsey, this isn’t pressure.” Sport writer Don Yaeger shares this story from an outstanding golf professional and brain tumor survivor. [Photo Credit: Chris Condon/PGA TOUR]
Read the full story. |
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| Heroes: Jeannie Kauffman |
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With guitar in hand and a song in her heart, Jeannie Kauffman is a true hero, transforming her own brain cancer ordeal into an opportunity to help and inspire others through her music. Despite many concerts and television appearances, her standout showing remains the performance of her song, “All In For a Cure,” at our 2006 Gala.
Read the full story. |
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| Heroes: Brent McClellan |
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It took a snowmobile accident to finally identify the source of young Brent’s strange behavior, but the discovered brain tumor and then craniotomy were nothing but an inconvenience for this tough and athletic young man that continues to inspire friends and family alike.
Read the full story. |
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| Heroes: Tracy Jean Olsen-Schalich |
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Even as Tracy Jean Olsen-Schalich hands off her inspirational fight for others to continue, the cherished legacy she has left with her family provides encouragement and a vibrant and loving spirit to all that she touched. Her husband and children share with us here the cherished and heroic example she shared with her family.
Read the full story. |
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Heroes Follow-Up: Rob Mullin |
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Brain tumor survivor Rob Mullin had the opportunity of a lifetime when President George W. Bush traveled to Kansas City to personally present him with the President’s Service Award in recognition of his continued work on behalf of patients and their caregivers and families.
Read the full story. |
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| Heroes: The Richard Hetzel Family |
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The family of Richard Hetzel offers this touching account of their father’s struggle with a brain tumor, the blessings they continue to hold dear, and the plans they have to honor his life at the coming wedding of his loving daughter, Dana.
Read the full story. |
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| Heroes: Dr. Samuel Hassenbusch |
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A motorcycle echoes through the streets of Houston, Texas as Dr. Samuel Hassenbusch, a neurosurgeon at M.D. Anderson in Houston, Texas takes the ride of his life following the ironic discovery of his own brain tumor. This inspiring story includes video coverage by Katie Couric of CBS News.
Read the full story. |
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| Heroes: Zach Topper |
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Read how this incredible family, along with Shippensburg University, transformed the loss of their son and football hero into a legacy by fulfilling his dream of publishing his journal in a book titled It Doesn’t Take a Brain Surgeon to Figure out: Take Life One Day at a Time. Zach created disciplined principles to live by that he chronicled so that other brain tumor patients would not feel alone in their fears, anger, hopes and despair.
For more on this story and a tribute by Zach’s aunt, Leslie Fox, click here. |
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| Heroes: Jimmy McKeon |
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When Jim McKeon watched his five-year-old son Jimmy play a school basketball game and score 2 our of his team’s total of 28 points, he knew his son was special. Then, almost out of nowhere, Jimmy got sick and was diagnosed with a very serious brain tumor…and Jim McKeon recognized how truly remarkable his son was. Now age eight, Jimmy remains one of the most positive, happy, and amazing kids you’d ever want to meet.
Click here to read more about this courageous young man. |
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| Heroes: Shawna Oleson |
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Shawna loves her kittens. Rescuing them as strays, Shawna helped to feed each of them with an eyedropper by hand. She has sold Christmas ornaments to support animal shelters. She has served as support team and cheerleader at benefits for the Foundation…all while she fights her own battle with brain cancer. This article from The Star News titled “Medford Teen Is Just Doing What Needs To Be Done” explores the gleam, strength, and giving that is Shawna Oleson.
Click here for more of Shawna’s remarkable story. |
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| Heroes: Denis McDowell |
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Denis and his wife, Judith, were set to celebrate thirty-nine years married in style, lost in the lights and glamour of Broadway in New York City. But their plans were interrupted when they discovered his unwielding toothache was actually…a brain tumor. Without slowing down, this retired New Jersey state trooper met his challenge head-on, remaining upbeat and spirited, even as his life sees a few changes. “You start living differently,” he says, now months after celebrating his 40th anniversary. “[My wife and I] have been on more vacations since this happened than we’ve been on our whole married lives!”
For more on Denis and his uncompromising spirit, click here. |
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| Heroes: Liz Holzemer |
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Sometimes you just have to laugh. Just ask Liz Holzemer. In February 2000, she and her husband were told that she would likely never have children due to her various health complications. Then they discovered that Liz was standing on the edge of a coma due to a baseball-sized brain tumor. Now a mother of two, Liz has started the nonprofit Meningioma Mommas to raise cancer awareness and has authored her own book titled Curveball: When Life Throws You a Brain Tumor.
Click here to find more on Liz’s amazing story. |
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| Heroes: Jim Yanko |
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Jim Yanko has made his living providing guidance to the baseball players under his tutelage, both on and off the field. But in this remarkable story, his triumph over cancer and his inspired example shire a new light on “the ‘C’ word”…Coach. Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given a one-year life expectancy, this “Miracle Man” continues to beat the odds more than two years later.
Read the article titled “The ‘Miracle Man’” by clicking here. |
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| Heroes: Rob Mullin |
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Rob Mullin was already undergoing treatment for a brain tumor in Kansas City when he heard the story of baseball great Tug McGraw’s similar diagnosis in Florida. Now a 5 1/2 year brain cancer survivor, Rob and his family continue to focus on their battle against this disease through their active support of the Tug McGraw Foundation and the Kansas-based beHeadstrong organization.
For the complete story by Rob’s wife, Gail Mullin, click here. |
