With the Seattle Brain Cancer Walk (SBCW), which will mark its seventh-anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 20, Combes hopes to raise awareness and funding for the disease. The walk will take place from 8:45 to 10 a.m. at the Seattle Center Next50 Plaza.
Founded by a group of volunteers and families, the SBCW (www.braincancerwalk.org) attracts more than 3,000 participants annually, and 100 percent of the SBCW proceeds go directly to patient care, advocacy and research. In addition, for every dollar raised at the Seattle Brain Cancer Walk, an additional $9 is secured from other sources, making the walk the primary driver for brain-cancer research in our region.
Brain cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men under 40 and fifth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women under 40, according to the American Brain Tumor Association.
Prior to the establishment of the Ben & Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at Swedish in 2008, clinical trials in the Pacific Northwest for patients with brain tumors were limited. To date, the Ivy Center has provided access to 15 community-based clinical trials of experimental, new therapies that could provide more effective treatment options for patients.