George’s Journey Facing Brain Cancer | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Video Description

George Kolasa was living his dream life as a fashion executive in New York City when in February 2022, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma – the most common form of brain cancer. In this special episode of Cancer Straight Talk from MSK, George and his husband Justin take us on their journey as cancer patient and caregiver as it has unfolded in real time over the past year. We see George quickly evolve from accepting his disease to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for rare cancer research through Cycle for Survival. George finds purpose in his diagnosis by helping others and spreading his message of hope, even as he confronts reality. As George’s memory, speech and ability to walk declines, Justin leans in to the challenges of being a caregiver and also learns the importance of asking for help. As we follow George to his many tests, treatments, and checkups with MSK neuro-oncologist Alexandra Miller and her compassionate team of nurses, we witness the special bond formed between patients and care teams at MSK and see a couple making the most of every moment together, living their life with dignity, purpose, and love. Shortly after this podcast was completed, George passed away. We thank him and Justin for generously sharing their story to raise awareness and support for research. George was a remarkable person, whose legacy is everlasting. This is episode 40 of MSK's podcast "Cancer Straight Talk". Listen to all podcast episodes, including the audio version of this episode: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLME9VJQhE-htNSJ_xT6jWk1Rx4zRYpxxL&si=a1-4vJem61kRerRm Find episode notes, transcripts, expert bios and more: https://bit.ly/3A83Dic Learn more about MSK: https://bit.ly/4qews1i Request an appointment at MSK by calling 844-955-1758 or online at: https://bit.ly/3MvaRTJ CONNECT WITH MSK o Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/memorialsloankettering o X: https://x.com/mskcancercenter o Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memorialsloankettering o LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/memorial-sloan-kettering-cancer-center