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Pounding Feet hit Caldwells’ streets for 1st annual Caroline Fund 5K

REAL TIME NEWS: NOW from the Jersey Tomato Press

A view of some of the runners today in the Caldwells. The winner? A runner with a "Jersey Shore Runners Club" shirt.
A view of the crowd at 8:00 a.m., an hour prior to the 5K walk/run.
Lilli
This hand made bracelet was sold at the 5K run today. The saying offers a message of hope - that nothing, including finding a cure for this deadly brain cancer, is impossible.
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Diane Lilli
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This was a 5K filled to the brim with eager walkers and runners, all happy to support raising money for the Caroline Vandemark Fund for Brain and Spine Tumor Research at Hackensack University Medical Center. Samuel A. Goldlust M.D. and George Kaptain M.D. announced the establishment of the Caroline Vandemark Fund for Brain and Spine Tumor Research announced the establishment of this fund one year ago, on September 13, 2013.

On a perfectly chill running day today, hundreds of runners and walkers hit the ground to share their support to find a cure for a rare, deadly form of brain cancer that stole the life of vibrant, local 22-year old Caroline Vandemark.
This was a 5K filled to the brim with eager walkers and runners, all happy to support raising money for the Caroline Vandemark Fund for Brain and Spine Tumor Research at Hackensack University Medical Center. Samuel A. Goldlust M.D. and George Kaptain M.D. announced the establishment of the Caroline Vandemark Fund for Brain and Spine Tumor Research announced the establishment of this fund one year ago, on September 13, 2013.
At the 5K, participants who knew her reminisced, sometimes in tears, about this young woman’s personality, calling her “funny”, “best friend ever”, “strong” and most of all, deeply missed.
Caroline moved to Caldwell with her family at the age of 13, attending local schools and graduating from James Caldwell High School in 2009. She attended East Stroudsburg University but fell ill prior to her senior year at college.
Her diagnosis of a rare and often fatal brain cancer and tumor, glioblastoma, lead this passionate young woman to fight for her life, suffering through numerous surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy, and in spite of her life and death fight for survival, she returned to the university to graduate with her friends.
This 5K, organizers noted at the event, will be an annual affair. As of late yesterday, their site noted that they had received donations of over $8,000.
This organization is a 501C-3, and is a non-profit. You may mail donations to:
The Caroline Fund 5K
96 Central Ave.
Caldwell, New Jersey 
Their email is carolinefund5k@gmail.com.
Click here to visit their website.


About Glioblastomas: from the University of Texas MD Anderson Center

There are multiple grades of gliomas -- grade II, III and IV, with grade IV being the most malignant. 
Grade IV tumors are called glioblastoma. They are the most aggressive and are very infiltrative - they spread into other parts of the brain quickly. Glioblastomas don't metastasize outside of the brain.  
Glioblastomas can occur in any lobe of the brain and even the brain stem and cerebellum, but more commonly occur in the frontal and temporal lobes. Below, I've answered some common questions I get about glioblastoma.
1. Are there any known causes or risks factors for glioblastoma? 
Glioblastoma are more common in males, persons older than 50, and people of Caucasian or Asian ethnicity.  There are a few very rare familial syndromes that are associated with brain tumors. One of the only known risk factors that we have for brain tumors is radiation exposure. 
2. What are common symptoms of glioblastoma? 
The symptoms for any brain tumor are related to the locations from where the brain tumor originates and the rate of tumor growth. Symptoms can vary widely. Some are silent and only found incidentally when a brain scan is done for another reason.  
The most common symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting and seizures. Tumors frequently cause subtle personality changes and memory loss or, again, depending on location, muscle weakness and disturbances in speech and language.  
3. How is a glioblastoma diagnosed? 
Most patients with glioblastoma undergo a CT scan, followed by MRI. The actual pathological diagnosis has to be made at the time of surgery (tissue is removed and examined by a neuropathologist). 
4. What are the treatment options for a glioblastoma? And why, typically, is it hard to treat? 
The standard treatment for glioblastomas is maximal safe resection (surgery), followed by concurrent radiation and an oral chemotherapy called temolozomide over a 6-week period. Upon completion of radiation, 6-12 cycles of adjuvant temolozomide are given to the patient five days in a row every four weeks. 
Glioblastomas are not surgically curable, but there is good evidence that the more tumor that can be removed, the better the prognosis. The radiation and chemotherapy are designed to target the infiltrative component of the glioblastoma and delay tumor progression. 
5. What advice would you give someone who has just been diagnosed with a glioblastoma?
One of the most important things that you can do is to seek care or even a second opinion by people that spend all of their time treating this disease. Glioblastoma is a very complicated disease. There are a lot of nuances to both the diagnosis and the treatment, and you want an expert to help you work through the treatment process. 
Also look for a physician who will give you the undivided time and attention you deserve. Your doctor shouldn't be rushing through your visit. I talk to patients about their diagnosis, explain to them all the aspects of the treatment as well as the impact of the tumor on their quality of life. I also spend as much time answering questions as the patient requires.