cgap profile: team hfc
I was acutely aware of brain tumors from a young age, had nightmares about them growing up, and always had a foreboding sense that something was doomed to happen. My mom was incidentally diagnosed with a low-grade glioma in November of 2019 after undergoing a routine scan for her Multiple Sclerosis. Her tumor later transformed into GBM in January 2020. The diagnosis was confirmed after her craniotomy on Jan 20th. My mom is my person, my best friend in the whole world. What were the odds that she would receive a brain cancer diagnosis?
Looking back, I am unsure of how I made it through the first few months of her diagnosis, from the surgery, scans, and labs, to the physical therapy and traveling to and from the hospital. I became her primary caregiver at the age of 20 and it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. My mom and I had no choice but to endure. I knew enough about the biology of GBM to know the monster we were facing. I knew the statistics before she was ever even diagnosed. However, statistics aren’t fate, merely roadblocks. I don’t believe any disease is truly “incurable,” but rather is constrained by the politics of research funding and time. It is only a matter of time before GBM has its day. I was tired of feeling helpless.
In my spare time outside of my university studies, I do freelance art, specifically portraiture. Given my passions for both art and science, I set out to create an organization that works to blend these two commonly polarized subjects in a way that benefits people like my mom. With this premise, the nonprofit Heads for Change was born. I knew that starting a nonprofit would require a diverse set of skills and talents. I still remember the exact moment I sent a text to my friends from university, Emily and Grace, asking, “hey, I have this idea, are you interested?” I was terrified to send that message because it made my mom’s diagnosis all that more real. However, more had to be done for my mom and those like her. Together, the three of us cofounded Heads for Change and I could not have asked for a more phenomenal team to work with.
Emma and her mother.
In terms of fundraising efforts, we have assembled a team of volunteer artists and are now accepting custom portrait requests in exchange for a donation to Cure Glioblastoma. If you’re interested in seeing examples of our volunteers’ work, check out our website gallery. In the near future, we will also be expanding to offer other fundraising options such as art sales and auctions in addition to HFC merchandise. All proceeds will be going to Cure Glioblastoma. We have also made preparations to partner with other local nonprofits in our hometown of Georgetown, Texas.
We did not choose to support Cure Glioblastoma by accident. It has been decades since there has been a major breakthrough in GBM research, so we knew we wanted to look for an organization that rose above mainstream approaches. My team and I are honored to support Cure Glioblastoma and the work they do for patients and families affected by GBM. We look forward to obtaining 501(c)(3) status soon and hope to utilize our more official position to increase support for Cure Glioblastoma.
As for my mom, who started me down this winding road, the person at the center of it all, she is doing well. Her last MRI on October 20th came back stable, if not better. As moms do, she always asks if I’ve had enough to eat. For that, and each moment I have with her, I am grateful.
Emma Astad
Cofounder & President,