Ya Gotta Believe

Improving quality of life for those affected by brain-related military trauma and glioblastoma brain tumors through education, resources and brain wellness programs.

Napa Valley's Foutain of Youth. Borman Field at the Yountville Veterans Home. Mixed Nutts getting ready for their Home Opener on Sunday, May 18th. Come get your youth on!! Free tickets in link 🙌 #tugmcgraw #yountvillevetetanshome #fieldofdreams #veterans #station12 #firefighters #brainhealth #yountville #napavalley #danielseavey

Turning the cameras around on these three amigos! Mixed Nutt, John Lew, Holly Holtzen the Home's Administrator, and PIO, Jena Kaeppeli. Checking out Mixed Nutts practice on our beautiful Borman Field. 📸🥎 #veterans #tugmcgrawfoundation #calvet #mixednutts #yountvilleveteranshome #yountvillelife #playball #brainhealth

#repost @dukebraintumorcenter #yagottabelieve @dukebraintumorcenter At just 10 years old, David Fitting faced a daunting diagnosis: glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. Despite initial treatments, his tumor relapsed a year later. In May 2025, David will celebrate an extraordinary milestone: 22 years of survivorship, defying expectations and inspiring countless others.

David’s journey led him to the @dukebraintumorcenter, where he participated in a groundbreaking treatment protocol. Reflecting on his experience, David shares, “When nobody else would treat me, Duke is the one that gave me a chance and put me in that trial.”

His story is a testament to resilience, innovative care, and the unwavering spirit of those who refuse to give up. As David says, “I’ve been so fortunate to have received care from Duke. It’s not just about treating the disease - it’s about treating the person.”

Read more about David’s inspiring journey by visiting our website via the link in our bio!

#glioblastoma #braintumorawareness

Ya Gotta Believe. We love this photo of Tug or in this case Beelieve. #tugmcgraw #mets #yagottabelieve

Ya Gotta Believe: Nothing but a good time. Meet Mixed Nutts Player, Army Veteran, John "Yoda" Lew. 93 years young. Yoda brings a lot of spirit and love to the game. #tugmcgraw #tugmcgrawfoundation #army #softball #mixed Nutts #yountville #napa #bormanfield

We are ready for it!!! Thank you @phillies And our Debbie for hooking up the students from @meristem_ca for our preseason game on 24 April at Noon with the Mixed Nutts. In our 5th year, A heartfelt game for many of the students who've never had the opportunity to play an organized sport. We can't wait ❤️ #yagottabelieve #phillies #autism #veterans #yountville #napavalley

Ya Gotta Believe the beauty of the California Poppies in the Tig McGraw Brain Food Garden. Garden season opens April 24, 2025 #poppies #tugmcgrawfoundation #tugmcgrawbrainfoodgarden #yountvilleveteranshome #yountville #napavalley @homedepotfoundation

@dukebraintumorcenter Breaking news from the @dukebraintumorcenter: A new experimental therapy is offering HOPE in the fight against glioblastoma. 🧠

Researchers at Duke are preparing to launch a clinical trial testing MVR-C5252, a genetically modified herpes simplex virus 1 (oHSV1), designed to selectively target and kill tumor cells while stimulating an immune response — all while sparing healthy tissue.

“This study is one of the few that give me hope for a real change in how we treat glioblastoma,” said Mustafa Khasraw, MD, MBChB, principal investigator of the trial.

In early testing, the treatment showed potent anti-tumor activity and extended survival in animal models. Now, it’s moving to human trials — bringing a renewed sense of urgency and optimism to a disease that hasn’t seen major treatment advances in years.

Enrollment begins soon. Stay tuned!

📖 Read the full story via Healio: https://www.healio.com/news/hematology-oncology/20250402/experimental-therapy-for-brain-cancer-gives-hope-will-be-investigated-in-upcoming-trial  

#DukeBrainTumorCenter #Glioblastoma #BrainCancerResearch

Wishing a joyful 98th Birthday to our dear friend, Waldo! A retired Pan Am engineer and a World War II veteran, Waldo holds a special place in our hearts. One of our cherished photos captures Waldo and fellow WWII veteran Bob Bischoff enjoying a conversation after flying in the open-cockpit 1940 Stearman plane. Back in the day, the Army acquired these planes for around $11,000. Waldo, you are truly a representative of the Greatest Generation. Happy Birthday!

#Happybirthday #WW2Vet #Stearman #Yountville #NapaValley #TugMcGrawFoundation #Army #WW2 #GreatestGeneration #Fly #PanAm #Goodpeeps #ArmyAirborne #QualityofLife

What a honor to have Terri Tanielian who is a senior behavioral scientist and a nationally recognized expert on veteran
mental health come visit us this past week. A heartfelt moment listening to Terri and a resident veteran exchange working experiences. Thank you Terri for all that you have done and continue to do for our veterans and their families. You are an inspiration and an incredible gift to many. #mentalhealth #veterans #tbi #pts #yountville #tugmcgraw #yagottabelieve #yountvilleveteranshome

Over the years, the Tug McGraw Foundation has had the honor to meet many of these incredible strong Gold Star Spouses . A group no one should ever have to be apart of. We will never forget while at a show with @thetimmcgraw a gold star spouse asked if Tim could sing "If you are reading this. " A powerful song. April 5th is Gold Star Spouses Day, a day to honor the spouses of those who died while serving in the military. Sharing this beautiful song on a Saturday. #neverforget #goldstarspouses #ultimatesacrifice

Ya Gotta Believe the Nutts are back for the 2025 Season! @leadershipnv we are ready to take you on for Opening Day on Sunday, May 18th 💪 Team we learned today, Amanda from their team has some catching skills 😳 Bring on the beards and torpedo bats. #tugmcgrawfoundation #yagottabelieve #veterans #napavalley #yountville #brainhealthmatters #mixednutts

#neverforget National Vietnam War Veterans Day. On this day in 1973, the last combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam and the last prisoners of war held in North Vietnam arrived on American soil. Today and everyday We Honor all the men, women and the military working dogs who gave the ultimate sacrifice and served in the Vietnam war. #vietnamwar #neverforget #tugmcgraw #marines #army #navy #airforce #coastguard #nationalguard #militaryworkingdogs #vietnamwarveteransday

#SocialworkersAwarnessMonth = #BrainHealth. Social workers are essential in turning empathy into effective strategies, ensuring equitable healthcare access, and positively impacting society for over a century. However, they face challenges that can lead to stress and fatigue. Just as they support others, social workers must prioritize self-care. It's crucial to empower them year-round, not just during Social Work Month, by providing the necessary resources to maintain a work-life balance and continue their vital work in transforming compassion into action. Tug McGraw Foundation together with the Parata family were proud to help recognize the efforts of the Yountville Veterans Home Behavioral Health Team and the important work they do.

#socialworkers #empathy #resources #compassion #empower #Brainhealth #Behaviorhealth

Opening Day is Here🙌 Let the games begin🙌 Who is your pick to take it all in 2025 ? #tugmcgraw #openingday #baseball #mlb #yagottabelieve #mets #phillies #lefty #screwball

Always a healthier day in the Tug McGraw Brain Food Garden when @virginiahighperformance is in for a visit #brainhealth #veterans ⚓️🐸🔱🧠💪.

What you don't always know. As the Mixed Nutts gear up for our pre-season opener against the Students of Meristem, we thought it would be enjoyable to engage our minds and share some insights about the remarkable field we play on—Cleve Borman Field, established in the late 1800s. Before the game, we give students the chance to raise and fold the flag, yet we often overlook the history of the 30-foot flagpole that proudly displays Old Glory at center field during each match. After some research in newspaper archives, we discovered that the flagpole was a generous gift from the California State Chapter of the American War Mothers. It was dedicated on Sunday, May 2, 1954, with 78 members from 18 chapters in attendance, including their President, Gertrude Sullivan, before a baseball game at Cleve Borman Field. Along with the flagpole, they also presented a new American flag, a Bear flag, and a bronze plaque embedded in the concrete base that reads, "Dedicated to All Veterans by the American War Mothers."

Photos: Meristem students raising the flag in 2024. A photograph from 1950 captures Gertrude Sullivan in conversation with Nessin Dehmoiram, a paraplegic from Reseda. He shares his plans for a specially-designed home in the Valley that would accommodate his life in a wheelchair. The veteran, who served as the commander of Birmingham Chapter 23 of Disabled American Veterans, discusses the challenges he and his fellow veterans face with Mrs. Gertrude Sullivan of the American War Mothers. #Bormanfield #tugmcgrawfoundation #mixed Nutts #youtville #napavalley #brainhealth #flagpole #americanwarmothers

Friday Brain Bliss: There should be a Cooper's Town Hall of Fame Award for best baseball personality 🤣❤️ Tug McGraw you would have been a shoe in. #tugmcgraw #mlbhalloffame #yagottabelieve #tugmcgrawfoundation #kidsarepeopletoo #phillies #mets

@garysiniseofficial wishing you the happiest of Birthdays. We will never forget our incredible trip with you. There are not enough words to express our gratitude and the respect we have for you, your team and family. Our WW2 Vets Barbara, Bill and Bob are no longer with us but you gave us and their families a gift of a lifetime. #neverforget

" I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade." William Yeats 🍀 Thinking of you Tug McGraw and Uncle Hank on what would be your 80 plus St Patrick's Day.

🍀 The Day Tug McGraw Broke All Uniform Rules:
🍀McGraw Has'em Seeing 👀Green
🍀by Jayson Stark Read Jason's 1979 article in our bio link. 👆#tugmcgraw #yagottabelieve #mlbgreen #irish #stpatricksday🇮🇪 #phillies

Brain Bliss 🧠💕 Sunday feel good. 🌎🌍🌏No words needed. #teamwork #yagottabelieve #nasa #iss #spacestation #astronaunts #brainbliss

Saturday smiles. Hard to believe 22 years ago we started our journey with Tug McGraw at Duke. Today we continue to send civilians, veterans and active duty impacted by gllioblastoma tumors. #duke #tugmcgraw #glioblastoma #burnpits #cancersucks

National K9 Veterans Day, March 13, is a day set aside to honor commemorate the service and sacrifices of American military and working dogs throughout history. To all the force multipliers 👊🐾❤️ #mwds #militaryworkingdogs

#CommunityHero Leslie Flowers, visiting the Tug McGraw Foundation. Leslie and her father were instrumental in helping us tell the story of the Military Working Dogs with the Napa Valley Museum. This week, Leslie visited the Yountville Veterans Home artists, who played a part in helping bring the Warrior Dogs to life in 2024. The 2024 exhibit will be the platform to keep these heroic stories of the Military Working Dogs to live on.

#militaryworkingdogs #heroes #yagottabelieve #museums #dogs #history #seals #army #airforce #navy #marines #spaceforce #coastguard #hero

@bettyanntrimble you are a gift to so many. Wishing you the Happiest of Birthdays. Looking back, It truly was a fun evening to surprise you with Your "GoGo Boot Cake💕❤️" Those boots were made for walking 🙌 #strong mama you are loved 🙌 Makes the best pickles 🥒 West of the Mississippi 🙌

#NourishYourBrain Resource. 🧠❤️Sharing what we learned at the Center for BrainHealth this past week. A Cookbook Must! The Brain Health Kitchen teaches readers how choosing the right foods, as well as how we prepare and consume them, can help maintain a younger, sharper, and more vibrant brain while significantly reducing the risk of dementia. Scientific research has identified ten foods known for their powerful neuroprotective benefits. Are you aware of what they are? A special thanks to Dr. Annie Fenn and the Center for BrainHealth. This year, the Tug McGraw Brain Food Garden is excited to cultivate some of these neurofoods and incorporate new recipes for our Harvest Parties with the residents at the Yountville Veterans Home. @mycalveteran @tugmcgrawbrainfoodgarden_

#neuro #superfoods #brainhealth #growfood #brainfood #alzheimers #dementia #prevention #cookbooks #tugmcgrawfoundation #centerforbrainhealth #anniefenn #yountville #tugmcgrawfoundation #Yountvilleveteranshome #jacksonholefoodie

#TakeABrainBreak #Firedup
TMF is concluding an amazing week at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas, alongside our partners from Virginia High Performance. Stay tuned for more updates next week! In honor of BrainHealth Week, take some time this weekend to do something wonderful for your brain and explore the fantastic resources available at https://centerforbrainhealth.org/. Can't wait to implement and share strategies into our programs. Thank you Dr. Sandra Chapman for this extraordinary vision you've created and your talented staff. #yagottabelieve and we do 🧠🙌❤️

#CenterforBrainHealth #VirginiaHighPerformance #BrainHealthWeek #TugMcGrawFoundation #Neuroplasticity #BrainBody #Nutrition #Sleep #MindDiet #TakeABrainBreak #Brain

Save The Dates❗️Ya Gotta Believe 🌟the Nutts 🥜🥜 are Back. #mixednutts #softball #bormanfield #yountvilleveteranshome #veterans #tugmcgrawfoundation #mycalvet #napavalley

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OUR MISSION
Connect. Collaborate. Achieve Together

The Tug McGraw Foundation (TMF) is a grassroots organization established by former MLB pitcher and United States Marine Veteran, Tug McGraw. The mission, to enhance the quality of life for individuals diagnosed with debilitating neurological brain conditions such as glioblastoma brain tumors, mild-traumatic brain injury from military exposures, and post-traumatic stress.

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Opening Day

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How We Deliver

We aim to improve quality of life for those affected by brain-related trauma and tumors through education, resources and brain wellness programs. We do so through...

TMF Programs

Providing sustainable brain wellness and brain engaging programs that help improve cognitive functions, physical fitness, food choices, as well as spiritual and social connections