Brian is a proud father of four, recently celebrated his silver wedding anniversary, and serves as a soccer coach and club director in Tampa, Florida. Life had been generous to him—until he received confirmation of his biggest fear: cancer.
That fear began on January 28, 1986, when, at eight years old, Brian came home from school after watching the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He found his mother upset and learned that her brother had been diagnosed with lymphoma.
Somewhere deep inside, I must have realized that lymphoma was such a serious thing. It could pull a mother’s attention away from her child’s worries and fears, said Brian. I was always terrified that I, too, would get cancer like my uncle did.
In early 2024, after years of seasonal allergies, sinus pressure and headaches, Brian noticed a swollen lymph node under his ear. Initially diagnosed as an ear infection, the swelling eventually grew to the size of a golf ball. After months of uncertainty, the growth returned in April 2025, and Brian was initially diagnosed with HPV-positive throat cancer.
Uncomfortable with his initial treatment experience in Florida, Brian sought a second opinion at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where he met Drs. Dani Margalit and Sethi. There, his cancer was identified on his tonsil, and he was offered the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial.
Dr. Margalit and Dr. Sethi’s team gave me care that was so excellent, it made it feel like it was undeserved. I had to figure out how I could repay them.
Brian is finding this answer through advocacy. As a soccer club director with access to thousands of young people, he looks champion the HPV vaccination and overall head and neck cancer prevention among a younger audience.
Today, he is turning his greatest fear into a powerful purpose: advocating for HPV prevention, supporting others affected by head and neck cancer, and giving back to the community that helped give him a second chance.
