Inaugural "Survivor in the City" Event to Raise Money for Research of and Support for Brain Aneurysms

    CHICAGO, IL, September 16, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Famed Chicago sports legend Chet Coppock will lead an event on September 17, 2016 at Soldier Field to raise money to fund research of and support for those affected by brain aneurysms. The event is being co-sponsored by the Massachusetts-based Brain Aneurysm Foundation, the national voice of those living with or impacted by brain aneurysms, which affects 1 in 50 people leading to an estimated 30,000 ruptures annually.

This first "Survivor in the City" brain aneurysm awareness Walk will be held at Soldier Field, 1410 Museum Campus Drive, Chicago, IL on Saturday, September 17, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. Registration opens at 9 a.m. The walk is held to support awareness and honor survivors during Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month, and is organized by the Chicago Chapter of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, a support group based out of University of Illinois Hospital.

"Events such as this one in Chicago are what allow us to fund the research that is leading the way in awareness, advocacy and prevention of brain aneurysms. We're so lucky to have champions like Chet Coppock," said Christine Buckley, director of the Foundation, which was started in 1994 at Massachusetts General Hospital and is now based in Hanover, MA. "There is so much to be done for those impacted by brain aneurysms, and with the help of people, like these great supporters, we are able to be at the forefront of this work."

The money raised from these events will be distributed through the Foundation. The globally recognized organization recently hosted its 10th annual Research Grant Symposium in Atlanta, GA, at which $310,000 in grant money was awarded to 11 recipients whose research is impacting this disease. The Foundation has three missions: to help support families and those who have suffered a brain aneurysm; to advance cutting edge medical research; and, to be the advocacy voice of the brain aneurysm community in Washington.

Brain Aneurysms by the numbers:
- Six million people in the U.S. have a brain aneurysm, 30,000 of whom will suffer a rupture each year
- Of the 30,000, 60 percent will survive
- Of those who survive, approximately 66 percent will endure permanent neurological deficits that limit their ability to resume a normal life
- The cost of treating brain aneurysms and caring for those who have suffered a rupture nationally is in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually
- 50 percent of those who have a brain aneurysm rupture are less than 50 years old

The Foundation is unique in that it has a Medical Advisory Board of Directors, which is made up of more than three-dozen doctors--neurologists, neurosurgeons, and interventional neuroradiologists--representing the best research hospitals, facilities, and universities throughout the country. The Medical Advisory Board members provide expertise and support to the Foundation in a variety of ways. The Foundation recently announced that two leading physicians joined the medical advisory board: Dr. L. Fernando Gonzalez, associate professor of neurosurgery at Duke University, and Dr. Brian Jankowitz, Co-Director, Endovascular Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

It has been a busy year for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. The organization received national attention, including on May 11, 2016, when it led a delegation of more than six-dozen brain aneurysm survivors, family members of those affected by the disease, advocates, and medical professionals from around the country for a Congressional Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. The delegation met with key legislators including Senator Edward Markey (D-MA), Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and Representative Renee Ellmers (R-NC).

On May 3, 2016, the Brain Aneurysm Foundation participated in the #StrokeTalk as part of National Stroke Awareness Month with the CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Director Dr. Walter Koroshetz, Million Hearts Executive Director Dr. Janet Wright, and Kaiser Permanente research scientist Dr. Mai Nguyen-Huynh.

In April 2016, the U.S. Senate passed by acclamation Resolution 438 naming September as "National Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month," which was introduced by Senators Markey and Ayotte. And on Sunday, April 21, 2016, more than 1,000 people gathered at Boston's historic Fenway Park to participate in the 15th annual Arterial Challenge, a 5K Run and 3K Walk to fund research.

ABOUT THE BRAIN ANEURYSM FOUNDATION
The Brain Aneurysm Foundation is the globally recognized leader in brain aneurysm awareness, education, support, advocacy and research funding. Now celebrating more than 20 years' of service and led by Executive Director Christine Buckley, the Brain Aneurysm Foundation was established in 1994 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, with a mission to promote early detection of brain aneurysms by providing knowledge and raising awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors; work with the medical communities to provide support networks for patients and families; as well as to further research that will improve patient outcomes and save lives. For more information about the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, visit www.bafound.org

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation
269 Hanover Street
Building 3
Hanover, MA 02339
(781) 826-5556 Phone
(781) 826-5566 Fax
Tax ID No. 04-3243864
www.bafound.org

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