Alan Rosenberg

Alan Rosenberg enjoyed his life as a husband, father of three and CPA very much, and had a near perfect routine. Every morning, he woke up, put on his tie and jacket, and headed to his job as partner at a local accounting firm. He spent his days working with clients and enjoyed time at home with his family in the evenings.

In the fall of 1999, Alan began having daily headaches. Though the headaches weren’t migraines, they were severe enough to disrupt his daily routine. Every day, he would come home and complain of the pain he endured throughout the day.

Alan visited his primary care provider and described the pain he was experiencing. At first, his provider suggested it could be caused by allergies. Alan, though, knew it was something else. His provider ordered a CAT scan and ultimately referred him to an oncologist.

Bringing along the film from his CAT scan, Alan headed into the appointment that would change life as he knew it. During the appointment, Alan was informed that he had a tumor the size of a tennis ball on his brain. This tumor was putting pressure on his brain, causing the headaches he was experiencing.

His surgeon and neuro-oncologist sat him down and told him his life expectancy was only about five years. This was very hard news for Alan, who had three daughters, ages two, three and 12 at the time.

Upon hearing this news, all Alan could think was: “Am I ever going to see these girls go to preschool? Go to elementary school? Will I miss all those life events?”

Alan’s diagnosis of astrocytoma, a type of cancer that can begin in the brain, required urgent action. The tumor was to be very hard to remove, because of the way it attached itself to the brain. Just over a week later in the spring of 2000, Alan had his tumor removed at Jewish Hospital in a six-hour surgery.

Alan began chemotherapy and radiation at the Brown Cancer Center. He came six days straight each month for his treatment, which had just been approved by the FDA.

Five years of spending time with his family and fighting for another day came and went. Before he knew it, Alan had been receiving his treatments for six years, outliving the life expectancy the diagnosis gave him.

Eventually, he didn’t need treatments at all anymore. Alan was cancer free!

Because of the care and monthly treatments Alan received for six long years, Alan watched his daughters go through preschool, and then elementary school. In fact, he watched all three of his girls graduate college. His oldest even has two children of her own now. He never thought he would make it to their life events, yet he is still here more than two decades later.

Little by little, Alan learned not to take life for granted anymore. A merger within his accounting firm allowed him to take an early retirement, though it was a hard decision for him to make. By this point, he had learned, “Life is very short and there are no guarantees. Don’t take it for granted.”

Years later, he is still a strong supporter of the Brown Cancer Center. He is a member of the Regional Cancer Center Corporation, the community board that formed when the Brown Cancer Center came to fruition 40+ years ago. He and his wife, Bea, are also University of Louisville Conn Legacy Society members, where they have included funding for cancer research at the Brown Cancer Center in their estate plans.

Alan says he encourages anyone with a cancer diagnosis to choose the Brown Cancer Center for their care: “Why? Because I believe the medical staff there is top notch… The equipment, the doctors, the knowledge and the research there all work very well together. And, it’s local.”

Alan still goes back to the Brown Cancer Center annually to be safe, but has had the privilege of celebrating being cancer-free year after year.

“It’s been a long journey, but it’s been a good one,” Alan recalls.