BUSINESS
Keeping Hope Afloat The Prayers From Maria Foundation funds global cancer research.
T
44 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022
more than $12 million for the fight against childhood brain cancer, including numerous promising research studies across the U.S. “While Maria was still alive, we felt the urgency to do something,” Megan McNamara says. “After her death, we knew we had to keep going to help other children.” A picture of rosy health, Maria was a cheerful child who enjoyed the role of being a big sister to her three brothers, taking dance classes and playing dress-up. “She loved to tell jokes,” Edward recalls. “She loved to laugh all of the time. Maria was a dream. I can’t describe her any other way. She was perfect.” That sunny world changed in 2006 when the little girl began having trouble walking and seeing. She also exhibited physical changes that were initially
attributed to Bell’s palsy, a neurological condition that causes partial paralysis of the face. “A neighbor who’s a doctor didn’t agree,” Edward recalls. “He said, ‘You know, this is something a little different. Why don’t you bring her in tomorrow for some tests?’” A CT scan the following morning detected fluid in the brain, and an MRI was ordered. “At the end of the day,” Edward recalls, “the doctor came in and said it’s the worst of the worst.” On April 1, 2006, Maria was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a highly aggressive and difficult-to-treat tumor. The glioma family of tumors accounts for almost 45% of all tumors. They’re the second-highest cause of cancer deaths among young people,
ISTOCK
reat others as you wish to be treated. Do small things with great love. To Edward McNamara, president and CEO of Cleveland-based insurance brokerage firm Armada Risk Partners, these timeless maxims aren’t strictly business. They’re personal. In 2007, after their 6-year-old daughter, Maria, was diagnosed with brain cancer, McNamara and his wife, Megan, co-founded the Prayers From Maria Foundation. The nonprofit is dedicated to funding global research into the causes, prevention, treatment and cure for pediatric glioma brain tumors. Maria lost her 14-month battle with brain cancer on July 14, 2007, but the Avon Lake couple’s work continued. To date, the foundation’s efforts have raised
BY LINDA FEAGLER
