Hear candid conversations between people conquering cancer — patients, their family and friends, and doctors and researchers working to help us all.
These are just a few of the countless worries faced by the more than 40,000* people diagnosed with rare cancers each year. Dr. Justin Grunewald knows all too well the stark realities these patients and their families confront.
In 2019, his wife, professional distance runner Gabe Grunewald, passed away after a decade of enduring multiple cancers, including adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), a rare form of the disease.
Despite her diagnoses, Gabe persevered in training professionally, going on to become an NCAA track and field All-American athlete and finishing 4th in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. She also became a strong advocate for people with rare cancers, launching the Brave Like Gabe Foundation to encourage other patients and survivors to pursue their life goals and embrace a relentlessly optimistic approach to life.
Today, Dr. Grunewald serves as chair of the Brave Like Gabe Foundation’s Rare Cancer Research Working Group, dedicating his time and effort to rare cancer advocacy and treatment advances.
In this Your Stories episode, he speaks with host Dr. Mark Lewis about Gabe’s life and legacy, including the importance of positivity and relentless optimism for patients with cancer.
*National Cancer Institute
Despite the rarity of uncommon cancers, they comprise nearly a quarter of all cancer diagnoses and account for nearly 25 percent of overall cancer-related deaths*. This makes funding rare cancer research an imperative across the cancer care community.
For ultra-marathon runner and internal medicine specialist Dr. Justin Grunewald, advocating for better rare cancer treatments is profoundly personal. In 2019, his wife—Gabe Grunewald, a professional distance runner—passed away from a rare type of cancer. Over nearly a decade, Gabe endured multiple cancer diagnoses and, consequently, challenging treatments regimens. But no matter how many hurdles she faced, Gabe persisted, winning numerous track and field accolades and launching the Brave Like Gabe Foundation, an organization dedicated to rare cancer advocacy.
In this episode of the Your Stories podcast, Dr. Grunewald speaks with host Dr. Mark Lewis about the ups and downs that Gabe experienced during her cancer journey. Together, they discuss the lasting impact of Gabe’s legacy and the importance of inspiring hope and optimism for people with rare cancers and their communities.
*National Library of Medicine
