BElieve for Coach Brian!

Brian Edelman, who built the Palos Verdes High School and PV Cagers basketball programs into successes that have positively influenced the lives of nearly 1000 boys and young men, is back in active treatment for Stage IV colon cancer. Still just 36 years old, he is extremely young for this type of dangerous cancer.

Many of you know that Brian began this journey back in 2019 and has undergone a grueling, nonstop regimen of treatment for over three years. The statistics of Brian's battle are remarkable: 30 rounds of radiation on his colon and lungs; over 70 rounds of infused chemotherapy; 1 full year of oral chemotherapy; 4 surgeries; 1 blood transfusion; multiple attempts to get into promising clinical trials with no luck.

The story of Brian's battle is even more remarkable: running the high school program and coaching 11 months a year in the youth program, all while never missing a game; dealing with multiple intense side effects and profound fatigue; weathering the disappointments of not qualifying for clinical trial after clinical trial; the sudden responsibility of running a commercial nursery - without compensation - after the unexpected passing of his mother; maintaining his ever-present positive outlook and, most importantly, marrying the love of his life, Meggan Groh, this past August. Does this sound like a Stage IV cancer patient to you?

Sadly, Brian is now headed back into the hell of continuous cancer treatment. The clinical trial he did start this past summer ended for Brian at the end of November when doctors found that tumors in his lungs were not responding.

Now, in an effort to get the upper hand on the lungs and a newly discovered tumor deep in his right shoulder, his oncologist has begun Brian on even more intensive treatment than any he has endured to date. This week, for the first time in nearly two years, Brian began a combination of three chemotherapies, each with horrific side effects. In the past, he has never had more than two of these at the same time. Simultaneously, Brian will begin radiation therapy to address the shoulder tumor. This aggressive protocol will run for at least the next few months, with the hope that some reduction can be achieved and Brian can again qualify for a clinical trial that might bring a cure.

The South Bay and basketball communities responded in incredible fashion when we first posted a GoFundMe in 2019. The love and support was amazing and profoundly touching, as people from all over the country pitched in to help Brian through his challenge - even people Brian had never met or known! Your support enabled Brian to cover the significant costs of treatment for the past three years.

Regretfully, we must ask again for your help to get Brian and Meggan through this huge challenge. As many of you know, Brian is paid a minimum stipend for his high school work and is not able to coach this year due to his treatment. His ability to continue with the Cagers is episodic at best, further curtailing his income. His hard work at the nursery is done without any compensation at all, just trying to keep the business going. And through all of these avenues, there is no employer-sponsored health insurance, which makes the physical and financial mountain even higher to climb.

Brian has given enormously of himself and impacted so many in our community over the past 15 years. He has made a big difference in our lives just as we imagine he has in yours. In this season of giving, we hope you can find some room to give back to Brian and Meggan in their time of need.

Please share this with your friends and network – every donation is welcomed and deeply appreciated!