help Sara Blattman fight GBM

Late Sunday evening February 28th, Sara was unwinding from a full weekend of work, family time, and hiking with the dogs.  With no prior symptoms, she began experiencing chest pains so severe that she asked her husband, Gurion, to take her to the hospital.  An MRI the next day revealed a tumor in her right temporal lobe.

She was stable yet very disoriented and unable to leave the hospital.  Luckily, Gurion, Megan, and Dana were able to be with her and help navigate the next steps.

On Tuesday March 2, Sara underwent a craniotomy to remove a large portion of the tumor.  Two days later she was able to go home and recover.  However, before leaving the hospital,  Sara and family also received news that the tumor was a malignant grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).  

Glioblastoma is complicated, awful, and interesting.  Reading about the diagnosis is shocking and heart wrenching.  For a good understanding of GBM and some fascinating information surrounding current research, here is a 15 minute podcast from a well-spoken doctor at Northwestern University.... 

feinberg.northwestern.edu/research/news/podcast/northwestern-drug-kills-glioblastoma-tumor-cells-with-priya-kumthekar-md.html
(right click and open in new tab works also)

Unless you are involved in a clinical trial, treatment for GBM has not changed much in the last decade.  Within 2 weeks of surgery, Sara had her staples removed, began seeing a team of medical and radiation oncologists at the Boulder Cancer Center, and was scheduled for simultaneous radiation and chemotherapy treatments for 6 weeks. 

Every morning, she takes her Temodar chemotherapy pill.  Every weekday, she travels to the cancer center for a 15-minute targeted radiation session as pictured below.  It has been a life-changing battle from day one. 


Sara has now completed week 6 of treatment.  It has been a rollercoaster.  She has been brave, humorous, and human, in dealing with a life turned upside down.  

Her loving family has been by her side every step of the way.  Megan has aced her MD crash course and keeps the entire family network updated on wide array of information and research circulating daily.  


special dinner at fav restaurant Protos, with buddy/owner Pam.



Sara, Gurion, and Ben moved to Boulder in 2013 after Sara procured a director of drug safety position with Array Pharmaceuticals.  Pfizer purchased Array in December of '20 and Sara began a new position with the pharmaceutical and vaccine giant in April.   

Her new job came with challenging responsibilities and moments of elation – like when Pfizer employees tuned in live to hear that the company's COVID vaccine had achieved 95% efficacy.

Boulder has been what they all hoped it would be:  a friendly, fit community, with plentiful opportunities to get outside. The icing solidified when both Dana and Megan moved to Colorado to pursue their own futures. 


Dana (26) is a 2nd year, butt kickin' law student at University of Denver who lives with  their lovely partner Olivia, and sweet little dog Roo.  In March '20, Megan (28), with her own slew of ambitions, moved from Columbus, OH, to Colorado after taking a position as a merchandise planner at Icebreaker.  Ben (15) is making his way through high school and becoming quite the outdoorsman.  Gurion has been steadily building 303 Dirt, a biking camp for kids which he runs out of Valmont bike park.   


In '19 Sara and Gurion purchased a quaint, historic home close to downtown Boulder.  With some expert help, Sara and team worked together designing and building for a year+.  Visions came to life and in August '20 they moved into their transformed, embracing, functional home, along with 2 large dogs, Riley and Zoey.  The house and small yard now offer much needed solace for the entire family.





Why a gofundme? 

There has been tumor regrowth shown on images taken during radiation.  Ongoing treatment is often the outlook with GBM, and a second resection surgery seems likely. The costs associated with treatment, along with future planning, give reason for concern.  

Our hope is that even as Sara's treatment continues, she can have periods of healing during which she can enjoy life's simple pleasures.  

We also want to use this page to update friends and family on Sara's condition and any interesting research or studies we might find along the way for people dealing with a similar situation.

I am Sara's sister and it has been such a blessing to have our families closer together since their move to Boulder. Sara and family have been great hockey fans coming to see our girls' games and tournaments. We have watched Ben play soccer, and together enjoyed some great hikes, meals, laughs, and yummy IPA's.  

I have seen Sara's devotion to her work and family.  It is still difficult for me to imagine her not getting up early every morning to go to the office/computer and be involved with the working tasks of the day.  Sara and Gurion have worked extremely hard to give their family the opportunity to create and live in their new home, enjoy school, and the outdoor life in Boulder.  

Please reach out to any of us for questions or just to talk if you'd like.   This is a difficult journey for all of us.  We use weekend family zoom sessions to stay updated and to be able to see one another. They have proven therapeutic for all.    

We love our sister, daughter, mother, wife, and friend Sara, so much. 
Your messages are wonderful and welcomed. This is as much about sharing connections as it is to raise some funds to help cushion many life changes.  
With love and thanks from all of us.