Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center Patients are Event Ambassadors Raising Awareness for the Importance of Finding a Cure through Pediatric Brain Tumor Research
NEW YORK (July 18, 2012) — There is a critical need to find cures for incurable pediatric brain tumors through accelerated and focused research. That's why Miles for Hope (MFH) is hosting its Moving Towards a Cure® 5K Brain Tumor Awareness Run/Walk at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, July 21, at Riverside Park in New York City. A large portion of the event proceeds will provide funding for research by Weill Cornell Medical College's Children's Brain Tumor Project at the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center.
Miles for Hope is a non-profit organization dedicated to funding cutting-edge brain tumor research, raising awareness and providing medically necessary travel assistance to brain tumor patients. Miles for Hope and the Weill Cornell Children's Brain Tumor Project share the mission of finding cures for pediatric brain cancers. Weill Cornell Children's Brain Tumor Project, founded by the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center in 2011, is focused on researching and testing novel therapies to accelerate cures for rare and incurable brain cancer that strikes children and young adults.
Neurosurgeons Dr. Mark Souweidane and Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield, leaders of Weill Cornell's Children's Brain Tumor Project, are the primary recipients of funds raised by the Moving Towards a Cure® 5K Brain Tumor Awareness Run/Walk. Two of their young New York City brain tumor patients — 4-year-old Ty Louis Campbell and 15-year-old Tyler Ulahel — are the Event Ambassadors for the 5K Run/Walk. The brain tumor survivors and their families are participating in the event to bring a human face to the critical need for this research and to provide hope to other children diagnosed with the disease.
Dr. Greenfield's patient Ty Campbell, who is often referred to as "Super Ty," was diagnosed in August 2010 with a malignant rhabdoid brain tumor. After undergoing three major surgeries at Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and extensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Ty is currently disease free. "Ty has amazing resilience and his will to beat this tumor inspires me every time I am with him and his parents," says Dr. Greenfield.
Dr. Souweidane's patient, Tyler Ulahel, was diagnosed in January 2000 with a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma, a slow-growing, benign tumor. He underwent four brain surgeries at Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to remove his tumor. "Tyler is doing extremely well 12 years after diagnosis and is disease free. Not only is he a brave, outgoing, jovial survivor of a brain tumor, but he's also an all-star baseball player who has come a long way to beat the odds," says Dr. Souweidane. "Thanks to the generous support of Miles for Hope and others, the Children's Brain Tumor Project will continue to give hope to patients and families each year who confront these challenging diagnoses."
More than 500 participants are expected to attend this 5K event, including more than 50 people on Weill Cornell's 5K Run/Walk team. The event is open to all ages. Awards ceremony and post-event celebration follow the race. The event will begin at 9:00 a.m. July 21 and same-day registration opens at 8:00 a.m. Registration for adults is $30 and is free for children under 6-years-old. For more information, visit www.BrainTumorEvents.org/NewYorkCity2012, www.MilesForHope.org or call 727-781-HOPE (4673).
For more information about the Weill Cornell Brain Tumor Project, please visit: http://www.cornellneurosurgery.org/ways_to_give/childhood_brain_tumors.html.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside, aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Cornell University is the first in the U.S. to offer a M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with the Methodist Hospital in Houston. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.