You'll remember Senator John McCain, who passed away last month, suffered from glioblastoma, a fast moving brain cancer. Most patients die within 2 years of being diagnosed with this tumor, the same type that killed McCain’s colleague, Sen. Ted Kennedy, in 2009. Some may survive 5 years or longer, but that’s less common. That very same disease just atacked a family member of one of my listeners who's now raising money to fight back. I'm sharing his story in hopes that we can get others to help! Thanks for reading! Michael J
Sgt. Cashman is going over the edge for brain cancer research!
Mike Cashman has committed to raising funds for brain cancer research as well as doing a damn crazy foolish thing like rappelling down the side of a perfectly good hotel building for very selfish reasons. Because brain cancer took someone I cared about very much! In doing so it hurt someone I love more than I love life itself. So if taking a risk of rappelling down 18 stories of a building can help raise awareness, bring one more dollar of funding to research to find a break through cure, then I’ll do it! I’ll do it to keep another guys father in law around one more Christmas so they can sit around the fire place and sip Bourbon together watching the family open gifts together. I’ll do it to give a daughter a few more years to enjoy with her Father.
You see in September 2017 my father in law (Jim)was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). As with anything Jim did in life he analyzed the situation first as any good engineer would. The decision was made to enlist the best surgeon in the country to treat him at Johns Hopkins. The Surgery went as well as it could have went, and then with his adventurers’ “never tell me the odds” attitude. The real battle for him had just begun! I for one had a blind unwavering faith that God was somehow going to see him through this. I mean for all that knew him he was a true “Iron Man” In life my 69 year old father in law was a competition level water skier, and loved the outdoors, hiking, skiing, rafting, surfing, flew planes, the list goes on. He still did 100 sit ups and push-ups and barefoot water skied! There really was no doubt in my mind if anyone could beat brain cancer Jim Warren was the man to beat it!
I was wrong.. August 9, 2018
According to the American Brain Tumor Association, there were approximately 104,000 Americans living with glioblastomas in 2017. This is the highest number of malignant brain tumor cases, with 12,760 new cases predicted in 2018. The median survival is 14.6 months. The statistics is daunting and, according to the National Brain Tumor Society, only four drugs have been approved by the FDA since 1985 for treatment of brain cancers. The need for more research cannot be overstated.
I am dedicated to fighting this deadly disease. There are almost 700,000 people living with brain tumors and about 80,000 more will receive a primary brain tumor diagnosis this year. Despite the amount of brain tumors, and their devastating prognosis, there have only been four (4) FDA approved drugs to treat brain tumors in the past 30 years. More research is desperately needed.
On October 27, I will rappel down the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. I have a personal Goal of raising $2000.00 if you could please donate as much or as little as you can afford any amount is greatly appreciated. You never know if it’s going to be your dollar, or someone’s dime that finds the next great cure for this terrible illness.
Thanks in advance for your support!
Here's what this fundraiser looks like! This takes some guts but NOTHING compared to the courage it takes for a patient fighting this terrible disease!