Brad was the FOM Board’s choice for the 2013 Athlete in Need in part because he was someone who had spent much of his adult life helping other runners himself. A Girls on the Run volunteer extraordinaire, Brad believed in the self-esteem producing powers of running and tried to spread his love for the sport to all, especially to young people. He and his wife Sarah had a beautiful 1-year-old daughter and he was a healthy guy in his early 30 when he noticed some strange symptoms while training for a marathon early in 2013. It was after Brad ran a PR in that marathon that he was diagnosed with a baseball sized brain tumor in his right temporal lobe. Brad underwent a long and technically challenging surgery in April to remove the brain tumor.

The surgery went well and the doctors were able to remove 95% of the tumor but it was determined to be cancerous and he faced a long rehab to get back to his normal, running self. By the time FOM rolled around Brad was certainly feeling better. He even helped hand out finisher ribbons after the GO! St. Louis Healthy Kids Mile!