Garrett Gross

Garrett Gross's Fundraiser

Support Children's Brain Tumor Foundation and my Chicago Marathon run! image

Support Children's Brain Tumor Foundation and my Chicago Marathon run!

Because of your donation, brain tumor families will know they are not alone!

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$500 towards $2,100

I'm running my 4th Chicago Marathon! Previously I ran marathons for RMHC (Ronald McDonald House Charities) and raised nearly $6,000! However, a few years ago, after having a bad fall while running, I was sidelined and ended up needing to have a bilateral microdiscectomy and osteo fusion of my L4 and L5 vertebrae of my spine...the good news is that I'm feeling better(ish) and want to continue my love for running and more importantly, use it as a way to help others through fundraising. With that in mind, for the 2025 Chicago Marathon, I am committed to raise money for the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF) in honor of Erin McDermott, the daughter of my friend Mike McDermott. Mike has become a friend of mine over the past few years and oddly enough, it was the LEGO community, a place of creativity and connection, that unexpectedly brought me together with Mike. Through our shared passion for LEGO and being part of ChiLUG (Chicago Lego User Group) which displays at various conventions, libraries and charities, I've come to know and admire the strength and resilience of the McDermott family. Erin's strength and resilience in the face of adversity inspire me deeply. Every dollar raised will support CBTF's vital research and support programs for children battling brain tumors. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to run for such a worthy cause and to honor Erin's memory in this way.

LEGO didn't just create a connection between Mike and I; it also had a profound impact on his relationship with his son, Billy, and his daughter, Erin. In fact, whenever we display at LEGO shows, Mike displays a beautiful tribute to Erin as well as some of her original LEGO artwork.

I kindly ask you to consider making a generous donation to support the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF) and its essential work. For over a decade, CBTF has been a national leader in providing programs for families affected by brain tumors. CBTF has transformed from a local New York organization that offered families access to information and peer support into a national entity that delivers unique programs to support families throughout their brain tumor journey. As the founders of the Children’s Brain Tumor Network, CBTF believes that collaboration is crucial in the pursuit of a cure and in addressing the often devastating long-term effects of brain tumor treatment.
By running for CBTF, I hope to honor her memory and support other families facing this devastating disease. So please join me in honoring Erin's memory by supporting CBTF. Together, we can make a difference in the fight against childhood brain tumors. Thank you for your support.

Please read the following tribute to learn more about Erin's story.

A FATHER's TRIBUTE

by Mike McDermott

Erin passed away suddenly in December 2013. And our journey in life as a family has been forever changed.. The story below is dedicated to our Sweet Angel Erin’s memory.

Our daughter, Erin, was an incredible inspiration. She had a smile that would go on forever. She was always happy. If you were not happy, she wanted to know how to make you happy. She could walk into a room full of people that she had never met, and all of them would have a lasting memory of her after she left. When you hear the saying "turn your frown upside down," Erin was one of the reasons that would happen.

A week after her first birthday, Erin was diagnosed with a brain tumor that was growing at an alarming rate. Her first brain surgery left her blind. Erin went through two different chemotherapy treatments that stretched over almost two years. She also had radiation therapy five days a week for eight weeks. Erin endured countless other surgeries, including a total of seven more brain operations. She took it all in stride.

No one foresaw how well she would adapt to being blind. She learned to read and write Braille as well as a sighted child would read and write print. Erin was one of the top readers in her class.

Erin did not let her blindness stop her from doing anything. She took judo. She participated in both the Special Olympics and Paralympics. She won gold medals in Special Olympics bowling and set records for her age group in Paralympic Track and Field. She played the cello for a while. She played the recorder.

Erin loved to sing. Her voice was beautiful. She could hear a song once or twice and have the rhythm down by the third time. Erin really enjoyed going on outings. She would go to baseball games, Great America, water parks, cruises, or picnics, and have fun. Blindness did not stop her from building with Legos. In fact, she often would spend over an hour at a time building by herself. It was something that she would brag about.

Erin loved to live life. Our weekends were full of activities that involved Erin and her brother. She was a wonderful big sister. She would offer to help with diaper changing and feeding, and she would read to him.

Erin loved to read. She would find a quiet spot and just start reading. She could finish one book, pick up another one, and keep on going. She loved to read to others. And we loved to hear her read.

I can't think of anyone who was more excited about going to school than Erin. She would get up in the morning, and the first thing she would talk about was what was going to happen at school that day. She enjoyed taking the school bus and getting to know the helpers and drivers.

Erin would arrive at school and greet everyone. From the woman who checked the children, to the security officer at the front desk, everyone would get a "good morning" from Erin. She could be at one end of the school hallway, and you could be at the other end, and she would know you by your voice or by the way you walked.

Erin loved her family. She enjoyed playing games, especially the card game War, which she would never ever lose.

That is how Erin lived. She never gave up. She fought a courageous battle against odds that were insurmountable. Erin's first brain surgeon told us that, even with all the chemotherapy in the world, she would not make it past her fifth birthday. She proved the doctors wrong. She lived almost eight years longer than any doctor said she would.

Erin was loved by everyone. Everyone loved Erin.

Even after she passed, Erin was still giving. Two people, one from Chicago, one from Toms River, New Jersey, were given the gift of sight from Erin.

We miss our Sweet Erin dearly. I have continued to write a short poem every month as a reminder that Erin's spirit is still with us.

Love you, Forever and Eternally,

Sweet Angel Erin.

Love, Mom, Dad & Billy