Cancer sucks.  It’s a bully,  and it’s scary.  

My name is Brian Vasey.  

Cancer has affected my family and friends, my patients and their families, and as a result of course it has affected me. I wouldn’t doubt there is anyone unaffected by cancer. 

One friend from middle school contacted me out of the blue (this was 1994, I was in New York,  he was in Portland, Oregon) ; we had lost touch but he knew I was in medical school. He had a brain tumor :  melanoma had reoccurred and spread. Could I find a cure? I visited him later in the year as I interviewed for residencies in psychiatry and provided support to him and his family as best I could.  They brought me with them to a support group through a local affiliate of the cancer support community (that would later include Gilda’s club in Madison, WI). This was my first experience with the power of community in fighting the effect of cancer on patients and those who love and care for them.  

Living in Wisconsin 15 years later another friend introduced me to the newly opened Gilda’s club in Dane County ; he, a cancer survivor and endurance athlete, inspired me to support Gilda’s through their annual walk/run.  Fitness and health are hugely important to me, as is the support of community and the philosophy of TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More). As a physician specializing in child / adolescent psychiatry and a coach of track and cross-country at Oregon HS south of Madison, I have come to appreciate how physical health and mental health are closely connected. Fitness endeavors can bring out the best in us and we do our best when lifted up by others and when we can lift others up. 

Now, 15 years after first working with Gilda's but having lost touch, I am grateful to be reconnected through Jennifer Yessa-Kast, a friend and colleague, and a cancer survivor. The goal : to raise awareness and funds through competing in and finishing Ironman Wisconsin 2025. So that no one faces cancer alone.