I have run more Disney races than I can count, and have run on Team Fired Up a few times. But it wasn't until my personal medical crisis ocurred in August 2024, did all the things align. 

In August 2024 I was emergently diagnosed with a nearly 5cm brain tumor that resulted in immediate hospitalization, a 14.5 hour surgery and 22 days in the Neuro ICU. I received the utmost care and had the best team and support system in place. However, I cannot imagine the fear and uncertainty that would be present if a diagnosis so rare in nature occurred where data could not be quickly utilized to make medical decisions. 

This is why I am embarking on the journey to Dopey Challenge. I hope to raise funds so that patients and families can have better access to data so that treatment options can be reviewed and hope in their medical journey can be present. 

I ran the inaugural Dopey Challenge in 2014 and swore I would never do it again. Life is funny like that. I've learned that the goals that scare us the most are the ones most rewarding and I can absolutely do hard things! Therefore, I will be startin the Dopey Challenge of 48.6 miles just 506 days after my life turned upside down and I forever became a Brain Tumor patient. I am determined to train and prepare for this with HOPE for cures driving my passion. I will run for those that can't. 
 

Here are the highlights / quick info about Dragon Master Initiative:

• When he was 16, David Pearson, the inspiration behind Dragon Master Initiative, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme, brain cancer. During his treatment, it became apparent that different hospitals and treatment centers were essentially silos. His family discovered a severe frustration in the cancer research community - a lack of resources to share medical research data between doctors and researchers.
• Clinical trial results take time, but time is limited in moments like these. Hoping to turn the loss of David into his legacy, they set forth to bridge the gap between isolated medical processes and real-time clinical research data. From this, the Dragon Master Initiative was born - a platform that would help solve the riddle of cancer through streamlined data sharing between researchers and institutions.
• The Dragon Master Initiative seeks to expand CAVATICA, a free research tool that enables doctors and scientists to instantly share, search and analyze patient data. Expanding this tool will allow researchers to use big data to identify patterns and further their research to uncover cures for cancer more quickly.
• Through CAVATICA, real-time feedback is shared, allowing researchers to modify the trials as they move forward instead of waiting for the results. The platform provides researchers with the ability to find out what works and fails, faster. The initiative also connects patients and their families with the resources they need to help them get through the journey with as much support as possible.