My wife Debbie was diagnosed with Anaplastic Astrocytoma in September of 2012 at the age of 37. Like most brain cancer patients, Debbie followed the prescribed treatment protocol, including surgery to remove the baseball sized tumor from her left frontal lobe, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. Debbie is now approaching 3 years post-diagnosis and is leading a full, healthy life thanks in large part to the care she has received from her team of providers at the University of Washington. Through all of this, Debbie has seldom wavered in her belief that goodness can come from her diagnosis. Immediately after her surgery and while still undergoing radiation and chemo treatments, Debbie developed a strong desire do what she could to help find a cure for brain cancer, not just for her sake, but for the sake of all current and future brain cancer patients. While Debbie will maintain her most important job is to parent our soon to be 4 and 7 year old daughters, she actively serves as a role model for all and an advocate in the search for a cure. Debbie’s advocacy takes many forms, including fund raising events in which her efforts have raised over $70,000 for brain cancer research, her willingness to meet with newly diagnosed patients to help them define their path forward, and through her seemingly endless, and very infectious, positive energy. Debbie’s spirit is best illustrated in the following quote from one on her fundraising activities: ” I plan to beat this disease. I am not a statistic. I am my daughters’ role model, and I want them to be proud of me. I want to show them what it means to fight for what is important, and I want to be there for them as they become adults. With your help, we can find a cure, so people diagnosed with brain cancer can have hope and live the long lives they deserve.” I believe Debbie’s willingness to help fellow brain cancer patients and serve as a fund raising advocate certainly deserves recognition!