My name is Jennifer. My brother, Tommy, passed away August 31, 2007
at the age of 32 from an grade III astrocytoma. He had his first
surgery for brain tumors at the age of six. He lived a remarkable
life for a remarkably long time - 26 years as a brain tumor
survivor beats incredible odds! My brother Tommy graduated high
school, had a job in food service in our local sheltered workshop,
and enjoyed, as he put it, "Fine dining and luxurious
accomodations." My mom made sure that we all (I also have a sister
Maria and a brother John) saw as much of the United States as
possible. One of Tommy's favorite trips was when we went to
Roswell, New Mexico. Tommy endured many surgeries, chemotherapies,
radiation. My father, a physician, used all his resources to search
for the 'next' thing in brain tumor advancements. Tommy went to New
York, Duke, Houston, and Cleveland to participate in various
clinical trials. When Tommy suffered a devastating and ultimately
deadly brain herniation, my family rallied around him and
celebrated every moment we had with him. The picture I have added
is of Tommy and my son Luca - Tommy is in his hospital bed that my
mom had placed in her family room. We had many celebrations around
that hospital bed! The most important thing to remember, I think,
is to enjoy the moment - Tommy's favorite saying was "Yesterday is
history, tomorrow is a mystery,today is a gift that is why they
call it the present (E. Roosevelt.)" Miracles happen EVERY DAY. For
more information about my brother and brain tumor research, please
visit his website -
www.tommydetescofund.com.
Thank you!