To support survivors of brain cancer and celebrate her own victory over the disease, Snoqualmie resident Kelsey Saty has raised more than $1,800 for the 10th annual Seattle Brain Cancer Walk, hosted by Swedish Hospital, on May 7. The Seattle Brain Cancer Walk has raised more than $4 million since it began in 2008 and 100 percent of the money raised for the event goes to the Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment.

Saty, who will participate in the walk for the second time this year, got involved with the event after her own experience with brain cancer led her to search for others who had gone through the disease. In 2015, Saty discovered she had a brain tumor after experiencing flashing vision and a numb arm, lip, and tongue. She left work that day and went to the University of Washington’s Valley Medical Center in Redmond for testing immediately.

She said the doctors found something during a CAT scan and advised her to contact an neurologist as soon as possible.

“They had come in after I undergone a CAT scan, said ‘we found something.’ My heart sank,” she said. “I woke up the next morning, stayed home from work, woke up to voicemail from a neurologist from the hospital, saying ‘You need to call your surgeon right away’.”

Saty was able to see neurologist Charles Cobb at Swedish Hospital’s Cherry Hill campus in Seattle for an MRI a few weeks later. It was there that the tumor was found, and Saty was advised to have surgery as soon as possible.

Four days later she went under the knife, and the tumor was removed.

Because Saty discovered and addressed the problem so quickly, she did not have to undergo radiation or chemotherapy. Once she recovered from the surgery, she was motivated to find and talk with other survivors of brain cancer. That’s when she found the annual fundraising event.

“I stumbled onto the Swedish Brain Cancer Walk. It was the coolest experience,” she said. “I really wanted to find other people who had similar experiences and came across it just looking online.”

Saty gathered family and friends to form a fundraising team in 2016 and was able to raise $1,000 for the event and bring out 17 team members for the walk itself. This year she did more, “up to $1,800 and a team size of 24,” she said.

“I surpassed both of my goals, my goal each and every year would be to surpass the last year. Sharing on social media has been a huge platform to get awareness.”

Through her own experience with brain cancer and listening to the stories of the other Brain Cancer Walk participants, Saty is motivated to continue to spread awareness of the event and to support others with the disease.

“The more people talking about it and the more people will know about it,” she said.

“It’s sad, but it’s also cool to see how many people come out to support us. It’s such a feel-good thing to be walking or volunteering.”

Learn more about the Brain Cancer Walk at http://support.swedishfoundation.org.

Courtesy Photo Kelsey Saty and her husband at the 2016 Seattle Brain Cancer Walk. She has raised more than $1,800 this year.