Ivy Blog

In the spring of 2020, 29-year-old nurse and former firefighter, Ian Youngblood was on the frontlines in New York helping with the influx of COVID-19 patients. While he was there, Ian began experiencing some alarming symptoms. Within days, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Now, Ian's prognosis is stable and he is back to living a busy and active lifestyle.

The Gerner family of New York founded StacheStrong in honor of GJ Gerner who was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Since 2019, StacheStrong has raised over $1.5M to fund clinical trials and research grants all going towards brain cancer research. Read about the Gerner family’s inspirational story.

In December 2019, Louise Hulme, a mother of two living in the United Kingdom, was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Like many of us, Louise spent a majority of the following year in lockdown due to COVID-19; however, what Louise did with her time was something very unique.

In August of 2019, John VanGundy went to his primary care doctor for what he thought to be a simple sinus infection. He later learned his symptoms were being caused by something much more serious – a malignant brain tumor.

Ryan Masales, a Canadian police officer, was diagnosed with an aggressive stage 4 brain tumor, known as glioblastoma. After exhausting all conventional treatments in Canada, Ryan and his wife, Estelize began seeking other options. It was through their research that they found the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and began their 1,500 mile journey from Canada to Arizona to enroll in a unique Ivy Phase 0 clinical trial.

In honor of Brain Tumor Awareness Month, Cindy Westphal, wife of basketball Hall of Famer, Paul Westphal, recalls her husband's journey with glioblastoma and asks for your support of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center's mission to contribute to a cure for brain cancer within this decade.

Five doctors told Melissa her brain tumor was inoperable. After thinking she had exhausted all of her options, she visited the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and her life changed forever.

As an active young mom and business owner, Andy was surprised to learn she had a heart arrhythmia called AFib. After having a cardiac ablation to treat the AFib, she started to experience a migraine for the first time and was quickly taken in for a brain scan to rule out a stroke. That’s when doctors made a shocking discovery that would turn her world upside down.

The day after his graduation from San Diego State University, Nick was diagnosed with a recurrence of his malignant meningioma. Nick knew he wasn’t going to have a lot of options, but the Ivy Center had just opened a Phase 0 clinical trial for this exact indication.

When Patricia's glioblastoma came back after her first surgery, both she and her husband knew it was time to start looking at alternative treatment options. After extensive research, they discovered the hope they were looking for was actually right in their backyard at the Ivy Center in Phoenix.