Following his diagnosis of a brain tumor in 2003, the famous and beloved professional baseball player, Tug McGraw (Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets), began a medical journey down an unknown path searching for Glioblastoma brain cancer treatments, which sadly took his life a short 10-months later.
However, while he was battling his cancer, confronted by an understanding of the financial impact and challenge of facing a brain tumor, he established the The Tug McGraw Foundation (TMF) in 2003 to enhance the quality of life for kids and adults diagnosed with debilitating neurological brain conditions, such as brain tumors, as well as now including traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Through fundraising, education and collaboration, TMF continues to create opportunities focused on improving the lives of patients, along with their families, in effort to extend and improve their standard of living and quality of life.
Jennifer Brusstar is the President and CEO of Tug McGraw Foundation (TMF), which she co-founded with Tug McGraw, before his death. In her role, Jennifer has defined the foundation’s mission of raising funds to enhance the quality of life of children and adults with brain related-trauma and tumors. Her drive to better understanding the brain is for the love of her son Jack, who was diagnosed with autism in 2001.
In 2009, Jennifer expanded the foundation’s programs to include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD), and Trauma Brain Injury, (TBI). This unique collaboration encourages the best minds in military and civilian medicine to accelerate new treatments and cures to improve quality of life in areas of physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual impact of those debilitating conditions. Her goal is to help educate policy makers and the American public about the pace at which scientific advancements, especially in the neurosciences, and improvements in quality of life, could accelerate through increased civilian/military partnerships.
Jennifer is also a board member of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University, a Special Advisor to Soldiers to the Summit, and married to Warren Brusstar, another famous Philadelphia Phillies pitcher who was very close friends with Tug McGraw.
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