In 2013, the lives of Lancaster resident Doug Pink and his wife LuAnne, an apparently healthy 57-year-old, took a sudden turn. LuAnne Pink said, “He was driving and had a seizure.” That took us to St. Mary’s Hospital…and a diagnosis was made. “
Doug has an extremely aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma (GBM).
LuAnne never forgot the diagnosis. “Yeah, you wouldn’t think of it. A healthy enough person could be diagnosed with it.”
He died just five months later. Luanne said: “It’s devastating to see your husband finally succumb to this horrible disease. We live such healthy lives that we think we’re doing everything right and then we get glue Tlastoma brain cancer. Destructive power! Doug loves sports, he’s a pilot, we own our own plane, he loves to fly. Everything we’ve been through for the past five months, I can’t remember. I don’t think I will forget the sadness.”
Erin Pink, LuAnne’s daughter-in-law, said: “I remember we got the call about Doug’s diagnosis. The family talked about how lonely we felt. We didn’t know anyone who went through that.”
At the time, there were no fundraisers for brain cancer in Wisconsin. So in 2014, the Pink family kicked off the Madison Brain Tumor 5K in Doug’s honor. Over the past seven years, nearly $235,000 has been raised for the National Brain Tumor Society…not only bringing together families dealing with a brain tumor diagnosis, but giving them hope.
Lou Anne said: “I think he (Doug) will be surprised. I think he will be very surprised. We join a community of all the families who have lost loved ones. The support and friends we’ve had over the past seven years have been amazing. Bravo.”
Erin added, “To keep telling the story of what happened, I think she’s been able to support so many families who are just starting to go through this process. So that’s what we’ve done.” I love creating that support for other people. You should know that you are definitely not alone. We met a lot of families and there was a lot of support there. We want families going through this process to reach out and support each other. “
Reflecting on all the 5K fundraisers since her husband’s death, LuAnne said, “You know, it’s been amazing. It’s great to see 700, 800, 900 people coming together for the same cause. It’s about finding a cure. It’s It’s about being supportive. Embracing people who are going through the same thing. We create something beautiful out of something tragic.”
Like many events, the Madison Brain Tumor 5K will be held virtually this year. You can contribute or learn more about the organization at this link.
