My husband Bret Cohen was diagnosed with Glioblastoma in April of 2022 at the age of 55. He was the epitome of health. He worked out every day, ate well and had no history of cancer or even serious illness in his family. After courageously battling this awful disease for 14 months my sweet husband died on June 12, 2023, just a few weeks after our twin girls turned three years old.
Glioblastoma is a fast-growing and incredibly aggressive malignant brain tumor. There is no known cause and only 25% of patients survive over a year. The average prognosis with aggressive and often incredibly hard-to-endure treatment is 14-16 months. Dubbed “the terminator” by medical professionals, glioblastoma is nothing short of an absolute monster.
The unmet needs of the glioblastoma community are urgent and acute. Treatment options are far too limited, and we desperately need funding for innovative brain tumor research that will yield new treatments to slow and stop aggressive brain tumors like glioblastoma.
I am committed to honoring Bret’s legacy by continuing to do anything and everything I can to raise both awareness and money to combat this terrifying form of cancer, which currently includes running the 2024 Boston Marathon to raise money for Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Glioblastoma stories don’t typically have happy endings, and ours was no exception. We were incredibly fortunate to have Bret treated at one of the unequivocally best cancer hospitals (Dana Farber) and by some of the most esteemed doctors in the world. Thanks to Dana Farber we were also lucky enough to be included in an innovative clinical trial that involved using Bret’s own tumor to create a custom vaccine to fight the cancer. With Dana Farber by our side we put up one hell of a fight, throwing absolutely everything we could at Bret’s cancer to try to slow its progression including two brain surgeries, multiple rounds of chemotherapy, countless infusions and numerous experimental / off-label drugs.
Yet brain cancer has a sinister ability to outwit even its most determined foe. Bret started to show signs of recurrence at about the nine month mark, and his survival was ultimately square in the median range.
While it wasn’t the outcome we wanted, I am comforted in my grief by genuinely knowing that we, thanks to Dana Farber, did absolutely everything we could do.
I hope that our tragedy helps you understand how cancer impacts families like ours, and that it inspires you to donate to my run. Every dollar truly does count. All funds will go directly to Dana Farber Cancer Institute whose mission is to eradicate the world of cancer so that no family has to endure the nightmare that we did.
Although Bret won’t be able to greet me at the finish line this year, I will be channeling his incredible strength and courage on race day and know that he will be with me every step of the way.
