Brain Research And Innovations Now, Inc.

About the Founder

On May 6, 1996, while employed as a Vice President and General Counsel for a communications company, Veronica Ronan suffered a grand mal seizure and was misdiagnosed as having a sinus infection when in fact she had a brain tumor. She underwent her first brain surgery in May of 1996 for the removal of an oligodendroglioma brain tumor. At that time, Veronica was informed by her neuro-surgeon that the tumor would grow back and it did in fact do so. The first medical opinion for Veronica was that surgery should be performed, the second was that surgery should not be performed and the third was that her MRI scan revealed only dead tissue, no tumor growth at all.

Since the "best of the best" could not agree what to do with her, he researched alternative treatments for her brain tumor which led her to The Burzynski Clinic in Houston, TX.

In April of 2001, she suffered another grand mal seizure. Thereafter, she was unable to receive a consensus among neuro-surgeons and neuro-oncologists as to whether another surgery should be performed. That 3-week treatment (which cost Veronica over $30,000) did not work for her and then her appendix ruptured 2 days after she arrived home from the clinic. More problems developed thereafter and Veronica underwent a second brain surgery in June of 2004 for the removal of an astrocytoma brain tumor. She underwent chemotherapy for one year thereafter. Veronica was extremely grateful that…

Nevertheless, this illness had undoubtedly turned Veronica's life upside down. It is for that reason that she started her own foundation -The B.R.A.I.N. Foundation (Brain Research And Innovations Now).

More problems developed for Veronica in the fall of 2008. She began experiencing seizures again. An MRI of the brain was performed and the scan came back clean. Her neuro-oncologist then recommended a change in her anti-seizure medication which worked for a few months until February of 2009 when the seizures came back again. This time a MRI scan revealed the regrowth of the tumor. A third brain surgery was performed on March 25th, 2009. It turned out that the tumor was now a grade 4 glioblastoma, the most malignant form of brain cancer.

Veronica would now have to endure 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy treatments to combat her disease. She sailed right through the treatments with only some minor nausea. It was not till her second chemo treatment ended that she started vomiting combined with severe nausea. Then in late August, Veronica began to fall down. Her husband, Tom immediately took her into New York City to Weill Cornell Medical Center. It was there that they learned that the cancer had traveled throughout her spine and that there was basically nothing more that could be done to help her.

Veronica peacefully passed away surrounded by her adoring husband Tom and most of her loving family.

Founding and Mission of The Brain Research And Innovations Now (B.R.A.I.N.) Foundation

The Brain Research And Innovations Now (B.R.A.I.N.) Foundation is a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit foundation that was created in March of 2004 to find a cure for brain tumors. The mission of the B.R.A.I.N. Foundation is to raise money that is dedicated solely to finding a cure for brain tumors. Because brain tumor research has clearly been underfunded and underserved, much remains to be done in this field.

Veronica believed that there simply is not enough awareness about the disease and that there are not enough champions for the cause. She therefore dedicated what remained of her life to the cause. Amazing discoveries are taking place in the world of brain tumor research but much more funding is needed in order for those discoveries to come to fruition.

Veronica had lost many friends who suffered long and helplessly with brain cancer. The only hope for those suffering today from the wretched disease of brain cancer is for more effective medical treatments and ultimately a cure for brain tumors. Sadly, Veronica Ronan will never get to experience the joy that her fellow sufferers will share with each other and their loved ones the day that a cure is announced. 

As of 12/11/2008 the B.R.A.I.N. Foundation has succeeded in raising a total of $262,951.28. All of the monies being raised by the foundation are donated to the Bartoli Brain Tumor Research Laboratory at Columbia University Medical Center where Dr. Jeffrey Bruce and his colleagues are working on developing a vaccine that will prevent the growth of brain tumors. Tom Woodmaska, like his beloved wife, Veronica Ronan does not take any salary whatsoever for his efforts to raise money for this most worthy cause. Any and all contributions to the foundation are greatly appreciated and can be sent to: