We’re honored to work with dedicated leaders, all of whom have a personal connection to sarcoma.
She is an award winning, American speaker and storyteller for TLC Lions, the author of ‘The Enemy Inside Me’, the brand ambassador for the Sarcoma Alliance, and an Iraqi War Veteran (OEF).
In 2009, after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Ewing Sarcoma, Brandi fought to overcome her diagnosis, heal after her treatments, and reclaimed her life through therapy, physical activities, and other healthy-living practices.
Through her speaking engagements and signature topic “Overcoming The Enemy Inside You” culled from the title of her acclaimed book, Brandi transforms the lives of her audience by encouraging them to pursue different avenues of physical and mental therapy to take charge of their healing and wellness, and highlights the importance of a strong support system, and resiliency.
Brandi has had the pleasure of speaking for Rolls-Royce, Guy Carpenter, Subsea 7, SNOW Companies, Bristol Myers Squibb, Kevin Hines, HOPE Nation, The Hines Foundation, LSP3, Salesforce and many more. Her mission is to provide an effective blueprint of strategies and resources that survivors, their loved ones and anyone struggling with “an enemy” in whatever form, take charge of their healing and wellness.
Visit: www.BrandiLBenson.com
Instagram: @BrandiL.Benson
Twitter: @BrandiLBenson
Since 2001 she has volunteered for a variety of children’s cancer groups, including the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), ACOR Rhabdo-Kids, and Lincoln Candlelighters.
On the Sarcoma Alliance Board she represents pediatric sarcoma patients, who make up roughly 15% of all sarcoma patients, helps manage the Sarcoma Alliance Facebook news feed, and has served as an Officer of the organization.
Courtney began her career working as a psychiatric registered nurse helping to run an inpatient crisis stabilization unit. Courtney was pursuing a graduate degree at the time of her diagnosis. Once chemotherapy ended, Courtney immediately returned to graduate school and has since graduated as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She found during her own treatment there was a lack of mental health emphasis before, during and after treatment.
Courtney dedicates her passion for mental health to support all individuals affected by cancer. She hopes to continue to grow the field of psycho-oncology with education and advocacy. Courtney helps to advocate for the AYA community. Courtney joined the Sarcoma Alliance as a Board Member in 2021 with an emphasis on mental health. She has helped create a Wellness Blog to explore common mental health needs in a variety of ways and provide education on identifying and improving our emotional well-being.
Courtney enjoys spending her time with her two children, husband and 5 rescue dogs. Courtney utilizes the love and comfort of her animals as crucial members of her team. She enjoys tending to her many rose bushes and sunflowers while always having a coffee in hand!
While working, she volunteered as a literacy tutor and a mentor for junior staff. She also supported a colleague during his battle with carcinoma, attending doctors’ visits with him and researching the disease and its treatments. After retirement, Suzanne has been volunteering with the Sarcoma Alliance, as well as with another nonprofit organization, the Medical Musician Initiative, which is dedicated to providing healing music to critical care patients. She also volunteers at a local school where she assists a kindergarten class with reading, and is a member of a local charitable organization that supports local schools, students, food banks, and other causes.
In her spare time she enjoys going to concerts, spending time with family and friends, and hanging out with her German Shepherd dog, Leica.
He is on currently staff at City of Hope (Duarte campus) and Huntington Memorial Hospital (Pasadena).
Marites earned her BS in Nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1992 and her Master’s degree in Nursing from UCLA in 2006. She is Board certified in Acute Care and Palliative Care and has over 25 years of nursing experience with hospitalized patients in various settings. She is currently a Nurse Practitioner at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, a county facility which provides health care to the uninsured, indigent and medically underserved population of Los Angeles.
As a founding board member, Marites remains dedicated to advancing the mission of the Alliance in honor of Suzanne and all those affected by sarcoma.
Dave joined the Sarcoma Alliance Board of Directors in October of 2002 and in 2020 was given the title of Honorary Board Emeritus. He has represented the Sarcoma Alliance at conferences like American Association of Cancer Research, Oncology Nursing Society, Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the Connective Tissue Oncology Society.
Dave is a retired Computer Lab Specialist from El Camino Community College in Torrance, California where he was in charge of nearly 400 computers in 9 computer labs on campus. He is conversant in Italian, French, and Spanish.
She wrote for the Alliance’s website, newsletters, blog, press releases and survivor profiles. She continues to write on her WordPress site, Twitter and Facebook. Suzie has represented the Alliance at meetings of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research, Society of Gynecologic Oncology and Association of Oncology Social Work.
She became a peer volunteer for MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2004 and added Imerman Angels and Friend for Life along the way. She was a founding board member of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Patient and Family Advisory Program.
Suzie has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a master’s in women’s studies from the University of South Florida. She received National Press Foundation fellowships to study Spanish and multiculturalism. Her poetry has been published online and in Rolling Stone and various literary journals.