[5 min read]
In this article:
- Providence Swedish community members host fundraising events to elevate the causes that are closest to their hearts.
- Among them are family-hosted events to support the Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at the Providence Swedish Neuroscience Institute.
- These events aren't just fundraisers, they are memorials to friends and family members lost to brain cancer.
- The generosity of donors to the Swedish Foundation supports lifesaving research, patient care programs and other advanced clinical initiatives Providence Swedish.
Jimmy McCunn was the kind of guy who never missed his grandson’s baseball game, even if it meant pulling over to change a flat tire on the side of the highway. As the family lore goes, he was so gregarious, his dentist knew to block off extra time when Jimmy came in for a checkup.
But in the spring of 2014, Jimmy had trouble moving his leg, something he attributed to ongoing back issues and a lifetime of hard work as a plumber. After back surgery, however, he was also unable to move his arm. An MRI revealed a devastating cause: two tumors on the motor function of his brain.
Just 72 hours after Jimmy’s back surgery, physicians operated on his brain. “He was in a lot of pain,” remembers his wife, Terie McCunn, “but he never once said, ‘Why me?’ He was always cheering everybody else up.”
Jimmy passed away four months later, on October 16, 2014. After that, his extended family took part in the Seattle Brain Cancer Walk hosted by Providence Swedish Neuroscience Institute each year to raise money for the Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment. Then, in 2021, Swedish sunset the event and embarked on a new era of community engagement and fundraising.
The community fundraising model empowers anyone to set up their own events to support Swedish, from game nights to community yard sales, car washes, wine tastings, and walks. Even a lemonade stand can make a difference.
The new model allows community members to tap into their own talents and interests year-round to support research, patient care, and other vital causes at Swedish. Participants run the gamut from grateful patients and their families to Swedish’s very own caregivers.
Director of the Ivy Center, neurosurgeon Charles Cobbs, M.D., uses his community fundraising page to share updates as he competes in triathlons to raise awareness and funding for brain cancer research.
When Swedish entered this new era, Jimmy’s daughter, Katie King, told her mother, “Let’s just organize our own walk and see who shows up.”
A team effort creates a big impact
In May 2022, a group of 13 met at a park near Katie’s house in Renton for a one-mile walk in Jimmy’s honor. Afterward Katie hosted a brunch. Several years in, this gathering has become an annual tradition with an official team name: the Mighty McCunns. Katie sends out a letter to encourage participation (she even uses a QR code to make giving easier). The group in the annual photo grows larger over the years, filled with smiles, dogs, and signs with pictures of Jimmy.
“I want to keep doing this until there’s a cure,” says Katie. “I don’t want other families to go through this. Not having him here, it’s a huge hole.”
This year, Katie’s sister flew in from Alabama for the event. It was the first time all three of Jimmy’s children were able to walk together. Their group numbered more than 20 people and raised more than $8,000. Those funds support everything from leading-edge equipment to clinical trials, therapies, and treatments at the Ivy Center that help families gain extra precious time with a loved one.
Community fundraising events also let supporters foster a much-needed sense of connection. “Brain cancer is extremely isolating, because of not only the physical changes but also the mental changes that often accompany that diagnosis,” says Nan Street, who lost her daughter, Lara Street Roberson, to the disease just a few weeks before she would have turned 24. “You feel like you’re the only person and the only family dealing with this.
Connection through community action
Lara was diagnosed with a type of brain tumor called an astrocytoma in her thalamus shortly before her 21st birthday in 2005, during her senior year as a physics major at the University of Portland. Even amidst chemo and radiation, Lara finished college; Nan and her husband took turns living with their daughter as she finished her studies.
After graduation, Lara took a job with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, where she focused on methods for early detection of cancer. When her condition worsened, she moved home.
In the spring of 2008, Lara’s oncologist referred her to the late Swedish neurologist Gregory Foltz, M.D., for advanced-stage care. At the time, Dr. Foltz was also getting the Ivy Center off the ground, and the family became involved in supporting his efforts through the annual brain cancer walk. Lara passed away on September 12, 2008.
“She was really incredible and did a lot in her short time here,” says Nan, of her daughter Lara, who passed away from brain cancer in 2008.
With the community fundraising model, Nan continues to raise money for the Ivy Center through her Lara’s Team page. Each May, she invites a small circle of friends and family to a backyard barbecue. It’s an event filled with memories and with Lara’s favorite foods, like lemon desserts and caramel bars. Participants wear Lara’s Team T-shirts and walk to a nearby park.
“Doing this small thing is very important for my family and my extended family,” says Nan. “And for our team, everyone who helped us go through this time.”
This year, Lara’s Team set a goal of $5,000 but ended up raising slightly more than $6,000 to support life-changing care. These personal events — like the ones put on by Lara’s Team and the Mighty McCunns — support the cause in other ways. Katie King’s annual fundraising appeal across her network helps spread awareness of this heartbreaking disease and the research at Providence Swedish Neuroscience Institute that’s moving us closer to a cure. Over the years, Nan Street’s barbecue has expanded to include a few friends who have also lost a family member to brain cancer, offering the same support and community she needed so badly during her daughter’s journey.
“We don’t do anything flashy, but it is a way to try to make a difference for the Ivy Center and just connect,” says Nan. “Because we all still feel the loss.”
Learn more and find a physician or advanced practice clinician (APC)
The Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Cancer Treatment is a premier brain tumor treatment center in the Pacific Northwest, serving Washington, Montana, Alaska, Idaho and Hawaii. We offer highly specialized, coordinated care for brain and spine tumors, delivered by a team of experts. To learn more or make an appoint with one of our experts, call 206-320-2300.
At the Providence Swedish Cancer Institute, we know that no two cancers are alike. That’s why we focus on you — not your disease. If you need cancer care or are looking for testing to determine your cancer risk, we can help.
You can also learn more about available clinical trials. Our physician investigators and researchers are involved in hundreds of ongoing trials involving most types of cancer.
Whether you require an in-person visit or want to consult a doctor virtually, you have options. Contact Swedish Primary Care to schedule an appointment with a primary care physician. You can also connect virtually with your doctor to review your symptoms, provide instruction and follow up as needed. And with Swedish ExpressCare Virtual, you can receive treatment in minutes for common conditions such as colds, flu, urinary tract infections, and more. You can use our provider directory to find a specialist or primary care physician near you.
Information for patients and visitors
About the Swedish Foundation
Your generous gift helps support a healthy tomorrow for everyone in every community we serve. Learn about more ways to give to the Swedish Foundation or make a direct donation online at swedishfoundation.org. You can also contact the Foundation at 206-368-2738 or email foundation@swedish.org. Thank you for helping us shape the future of healthcare. We can’t do it without you.
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