Tim's Story

There aren't enough adjectives to describe him...creative, spirited, fun, daring, brilliant. The list can go on but Tim certainly marched to the beat of his own drum. Born and raised in Alexandria, VA, Tim was a successful student who graduated from the University of Virginia in 1990. He found the perfect fit for himself when he started working at the Motley Fool. Tim had a great group of friends, a girl friend and a job that he loved. 

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After a minor car accident, Tim's vision was impacted and an ophthalmologist discovered a mass. At age 27, Tim was diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma. The Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, a cutting-edge  ophthalmology institute, performed enucleation (removal of the eye).

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Three years later, the melanoma metastasized to his lung. After a string of doctors recommended chemotherapy which would extend his life by a year, Tim sought more advanced and aggressive treatments leading him to the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA. Tim's right lung was removed and he enrolled in a clinical trial using a vaccine. Two years later he found a new radiation technique at Georgetown University Hospital. 

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At the time, the median life expectancy for metastasized melanoma was nine months. Tim made ground breaking progress by surviving almost 5 years (8 years after his initial diagnosis). He did this through research, not accepting the standard answer, going out of his geographic area, and participating in clinical trials and new technologies. With an astounding will to live, Tim never stopped fighting cancer, even at the end of his battle.

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Tim died on April 17, 2003