Still running after brain surgery
At 77, Tom Brand went from losing his ability to speak to crossing the New York City Marathon finish line beside his wife—just months after surgery for glioblastoma.
Four races. Four days. No intention of slowing down.
Tom had just completed three marathons and a half marathon over four days in Alaska. Running was more than exercise. It was a source of purpose, camaraderie and adventure that he shared with his wife, Fran.
When Tom began acting differently after the final race, they initially wondered whether exhaustion was to blame. He moved hurriedly through a museum where he would ordinarily study every display. He forgot familiar names. His behavior felt subtly—but unmistakably—unlike him.
Once they returned home to New Jersey, the change became impossible to dismiss. Tom knew what he wanted to say, but the wrong words came out. Fran recognized that this was not ordinary fatigue or aging.
He had acute aphasia, but with numbers he was sharp as a tack.
The warning signs were subtle—until they weren’t.
Tom could still complete complex calculations accurately, yet he struggled to name places, explain what he needed or form a coherent sentence. The contrast showed Fran that something neurological was happening.
Their family physician initially considered a transient ischemic attack and recommended an MRI. Fran did not want to wait. She took Tom directly to the emergency department at Overlook Medical Center.
Imaging revealed a tumor in the part of Tom’s brain responsible for language.
Tom was diagnosed with a left temporal glioblastoma. Its location explained his rapidly worsening aphasia and made treatment especially complex.
Pathology later identified the tumor as IDH-wild type and MGMT-methylated. Those molecular findings helped Tom’s team understand the tumor and plan the treatment that would follow surgery.
His care brought together neurosurgeon Yaron A. Moshel, MD, PhD, and neuro-oncologist Nicholas Metrus, MD, of Atlantic Medical Group. From the beginning, surgery and oncology were planned as parts of one coordinated treatment strategy.
Removing the tumor while protecting what made Tom, Tom
As Tom’s aphasia worsened, Dr. Moshel performed surgery to remove the tumor from his dominant temporal lobe. The goal was to remove as much tumor as safely possible while preserving the networks involved in language, comprehension, memory and vision.
The operation incorporated real-time brain mapping and monitoring. Tom also received 5-ALA, which causes certain tumor tissue to fluoresce under specialized light and can help the surgeon distinguish tumor from surrounding brain.
Maximize safe tumor removal
Remove tumor-involved tissue while limiting disruption to essential neurological function.
Map critical brain networks
Real-time mapping and monitoring helped the team navigate around areas involved in speech and comprehension.
Use 5-ALA fluorescence
Specialized visualization helped define tumor tissue that could otherwise blend into the surrounding brain.
In modern neurosurgery, our goal is to do more while taking less: more tumor removal when safely possible, with less disruption to the brain’s essential networks.
His first finish line was getting his words back.
As Tom emerged from anesthesia, he declared that he would run the New York City Marathon. With less than three months before race day, it was an ambitious goal—but one that gave his recovery direction.
His speech began returning
Tom spoke coherently again after more than a week of worsening aphasia.
Walking hospital laps
Determined to rebuild his endurance, Tom began walking the hospital halls before discharge.
Handling his own phone call
Tom called the bank and explained what he had been unable to communicate before surgery.
Training through treatment
He continued preparing for the marathon while completing chemoradiation and subsequent chemotherapy.
This time, finishing mattered more than the clock.
Tom and Fran were already veteran New York City Marathon runners. This race, however, would be different: their first one completed together from beginning to end.
They approached race day carefully. Fran monitored Tom, managed his fueling plan and knew which neurological warning signs would mean stopping immediately. Their goal was not speed. It was to cross the finish line safely, together.
Seven hours after starting, they did exactly that.
Having Fran by my side gave me the peace of mind to tackle the marathon despite what I had been through.
One marathon was only the beginning.
Four days after New York, Tom and Fran completed a 12-hour event. Another marathon followed. A broken leg caused by an unrelated trail fall eventually interrupted his running longer than his brain surgery had.
After recovering, Tom returned to racing again. At the time this story was written, he had completed 26 half marathons—including eight races in eight states over eight consecutive days.
Tom remained clinically stable, had returned to full neurological function and continued undergoing MRI surveillance every two months. Running remained both his motivation and his way of moving forward.
A treatment plan should consider the tumor—and the life surrounding it.
Glioblastoma requires timely, coordinated care. Surgical experience, advanced tumor visualization, molecular pathology, neuro-oncology and ongoing surveillance can all play important roles in the treatment plan.
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