Join us in raising a toast and sharing our immense gratitude to Steve Andrews, an individual who is passionate about helping others, and a believer that together we can achieve great things . . .
Steve found the SBTF in 2005 when his brother John was diagnosed at 40 with a GBM. “John had a seizure while playing softball,” Andrews recounts, “and when they diagnosed a mass in his brain, my whole world stopped.”
“I found fellow spirits at SBTF,” he describes and felt joining forces with the SBTF was something he could do to make a difference. His brother John passed in 2007, and that same year Andrews stepped up to the Board’s Research Grants Committee where he helped for several years to assemble SBTF’s research grant applicants and worked closely with the SBTF Medical Advisory Board.
Brain tumors and cancers are complex, aggressive and are now the leading cause of pediatric death, he cites. “It is horrifying to see the lack of progress in research and treatment options for people with aggressive brain tumors,” he says, adding, “The standard of care hasn’t changed in over 15 years.” At a certain stage, he describes, “you just aren’t in good luck, and that is not the place to be when you are fighting for your life.”
We must offer hope, he declares. Andrews’ cousin as well as his dearest friend are also diagnosed with GBM. “I have never had so many people so close to me with primary brain cancer.”
“We have to keep the pedal to the metal,” he says. The innovative research that SBTF champions is essential.
“SBTF as a Board is unique in that it is highly volunteer based. “Everyone has a story” related to brain tumors”, he observes. “We lift each other up and raise money for research, something that is near and dear to our hearts.”
Steve’s longer-term perspective with SBTF points his hope towards personalized medicine as the possible source for improved disease maintenance and cures.
Retired December 2019 from the SBTF Board, Andrews shares his passion for those carrying the mission forward: “I admire what SBTF has begun, and we must continue to push, growing awareness, research funds and services around support and quality of life.”
For all who would like to also make a difference, no action is too small. Sharing our brand, sharing our mission is essential to galvanizing brain tumor research and support to get us to a significant turning point in shifting the impact of a brain tumor diagnosis.