Certified Platinum recording artist and American Idol winner David Cook is lacing up for a very personal cause on Sunday, May 2 as he joins walkers, runners, activists and survivors at the 13th Annual Race for Hope – DC.
Cook has spoken on numerous occasions about his brother, Adam, who lost his valiant battle with brain cancer last year. This year, Cook returns to the Race for Hope – DC to remember his brother and send a message of hope and resilience to the families of 600,000 people living with a primary brain tumor diagnosis in the United States.
The 13th Annual Race for Hope – DC is one of the nation’s most inspirational and successful volunteer charity fundraising events, raising a record-breaking $2 million towards brain tumor research last year alone. Serving as honorary chair, Cook adds even more excitement to the annual event, which features a kids’ Fun Run, the Wall of Hope, and tributes to brain tumor survivors.
The Race, which benefits the National Brain Tumor Society (braintumor.org) and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (abc2.org), was founded and organized by a volunteer committee. Both of these organizations share the committee’s hope for a day when there is a cure, and when all patients with brain tumors are told they have a manageable disease.
Within the next 12 months, more than 210,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor. There are currently over 600,000 people living with a primary brain tumor diagnosis in the U.S. As the leading cause of cancer deaths in children under the age of 20, brain tumors cannot be prevented because their causes are unknown. As there is a notable shortfall in research funding to support discovery of new treatment therapies, there is an evident need to increase investments of all kinds in the fight against brain tumors and bring hope to an often overlooked area of medical research.
The Race begins at Freedom Plaza at 13th and Pennsylvania Avenue (metro accessible) at 8:30 a.m. and kicks off the national Brain Tumor Action Week. More info on how you can take part can be found here.
