Senator Barack Obama presents the Wings of Hope Medal to Board President of the American Brain Tumor Association
John was honored to be given this prestigious award by Senator Barack Obama, who has two children of his own and was touched by John's volunteer efforts on behalf of children with brain tumors. This event was held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago.
Des Plaines, IL (PRWEB) December 7, 2006
The Midwest Children's Brain Tumor Center at Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital awarded John Hipchen, President of the Board of Directors of the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA), the Center's Wings of Hope Medal. This award is presented at their annual gala to a member of the community who has made a significant impact in the care of children with brain tumors. John was honored to be given this prestigious award by Senator Barack Obama, who has two children of his own and was touched by John's volunteer efforts on behalf of children with brain tumors.
John Hipchen became involved with the American Brain Tumor Association 19 years ago when his son, John Jr. was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Because of the support of the ABTA, John and his wife were quickly brought up to speed on basic anatomy, current treatments and statistics. After his son's initial treatment, John Jr. enjoyed ten years of a cancer-free, healthy, high-quality life. Sadly John Jr. lost his life in 1998. As a tribute to his son and as a means of helping others, John joined the Association's Board of Directors to help ABTA achieve its mission of funding research and serving brain tumor patients and their families. John said, "it was a natural reaction for me to help with ABTA activites whenever I could. And now, as President of the Board of Directors, I look forward to playing a more active role in the tremendous progress and impressive accomplishments that have become common at ABTA."
The American Brain Tumor Association was co-founded in 1973 by Susan Kramer, who lost her 7-year-old daughter to a brain tumor. Susan was a past recipient of the Wings of Hope award.
John Hipchen is available for interviews. Please contact Peggy Kasprzak at 847-827-9910 to arrange this.
The American Brain Tumor Association exists to eliminate brain tumors through research and to meet the needs of brain tumor patients and their families. For information about this association visit www. abta. org.
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