The Kelsey Bradley Favrot Brain Tumor Initiative is thrilled to announce the 11th annual KBF 5K Walk/Run on Sunday, September 27th in Audubon Park – what would be Kelsey’s 67th birthday weekend! The race will be led by The New Orleans Track Club and our post-race celebration will feature music from Soul Brass Band, refreshments from Crescent Crown ice-cold beer truck, Jambalaya Girl, and fun activities for the kids including face painters and a bounce house.  

Why do we race? In January 2008, our family’s lives changed forever when Kelsey was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumor called Gliomatosis Cerebri. Over the next 20 months, she faced surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy with unwavering courage, hope, and grace. At that time, no hospital in New Orleans had a physician specializing in neuro-oncology, forcing Kelsey to seek treatment out of town. She often worried about patients who, due to illness or financial hardship, could not make that journey. True to her determined spirit, Kelsey began working toward a vision: ensuring that future brain cancer patients in our community would have access to specialized care close to home. In August 2009, Kelsey lost her battle with brain cancer—but her mission lives on. 

Thanks in large part to generous sponsorship donations, Kelsey’s vision became a reality. The Kelsey Bradley Favrot Chair in Neuro-Oncology has now been established for more than 10 years and has played a vital role in treating adult brain tumor patients in our region while advancing clinical trials and research. We are especially proud to share that Dr. Frank Culicchia, Head of Neurology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Dr. Lucio Miele, Director of the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center, recently recruited internationally recognized neuro-oncologist Dr. Yazmin Odia, MD, MS, MBA, FAAN, to serve in the Kelsey Bradley Favrot Endowed Chair in Neuro-Oncology. Dr. Odia is a nationally recognized physician-scientist who has led more than 30 clinical trials and authored over 80 scientific publications. Following her successful leadership in building and expanding the Neuro-Oncology Program at Miami Cancer Institute, she joined the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center in 2026 as Director of Neuro-Oncology, Associate Professor of Clinical Neurosurgery, and Medical Director of the Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office. In these roles, she is expanding access to advanced brain tumor care and innovative clinical trial opportunities for patients throughout Louisiana.  

As the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center moves closer to achieving National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, a prestigious recognition reserved for the nation’s leading cancer centers, your continued support has helped fund and sustain positions that are critical to this mission. Most importantly, your generosity is helping ensure that the people of Louisiana have access to world-class physicians, researchers, and treatment options that otherwise might not be available in our state. 

Proceeds from the 2026 Race will continue to support the Kelsey Bradley Favrot Endowed Chair in Neuro-Oncology and will support Dr. Odia’s efforts in neuro-oncology research and treatment. They will advance the Kelsey Bradley Favrot Brain Tumor Initiative’s ongoing efforts to recruit pediatric neuroscience specialists to care for the youngest members of our community battling brain cancer. 

The generosity of supporters like you has already created life-changing opportunities for brain cancer patients and their families through the Kelsey Bradley Favrot Brain Tumor Initiative. Together, we have made extraordinary progress toward Kelsey’s vision. With your sponsorship this year, we can continue building upon the momentum and ensure that patients throughout Louisiana have access to the specialized care, research, and hope they deserve. We would be honored to have you join us in making that vision a reality.