July 16, 1999

Sharon and Jason Silber,
Brian's parents

Pictures of Brian Silber adorn the fireplace at Jason and Sharon Silber's home in Peabody. Mementos of the young man are found throughout the house to remind his parents and his sister Karen of the life that was tragically cut short at the age of 28 after a three-year battle with spinal cord cancer.

Before Brian Silber died in 1996, he told his family and his physician Jay Loeffler, MD, now with MGH Radiation Oncology, that he wanted to establish a fund for spine tumor research. A leading radiation oncologist, Loeffler – who at the time of Silber's death was at BWH – currently is working with the Silber family to make Brian's wishes a reality with the establishment of the Silber Spine Tumor Clinic at the MGH.

"Brian made a difference in people's lives," says Sharon Silber. "So many of Brian's friends told us how he had touched them. They said that knowing him and learning from him made them live better lives. Brian always put other people first. He volunteered to help others less fortunate, and he helped all of us deal with his illness by never complaining nor asking 'why me?' We hope to continue what he had started and help people with this kind of cancer."

In March of 1993, a sharp pain struck Silber while he was jogging near his Atlanta home. His initial visits to the doctor  – complete with tests and an MRI  – did not reveal the true source of his pain.

It wasn't until 18 months later that Silber was diagnosed with a malignant spinal cord tumor. He then came back home to be with his family. Counting on Boston's status as a medical mecca, the Silbers thought that finding a doctor specializing in this type of cancer would be easy. They were surprised to find how rarely spinal cord tumors occurred and how few doctors were able to treat them.

Over the next year, Silber was treated by a variety of doctors – most of them specializing in brain tumors, which is the kind of cancer most closely related to spinal cord tumors. His only treatment option was radiation therapy. By December 1994, doctors told Silber and his family that the tumor wasn't shrinking, but it wasn't growing either.

In 1995, Silber came under the care of Loeffler at BWH and for 10 months continued radiation treatment supplemented by surgery. The Silbers remained hopeful, inspired by their son's courage and perseverance at beating his debilitating disease. Unfortunately, Silber's condition worsened, and he finally succumbed to the tumor and died in July 1996.

"Brian was the kind of son every parent dreams of," says Jason Silber. "He was charming, intelligent, exceptionally caring and sensitive. He had many friends and was liked by everyone. We were so proud of him."

With the help from Silber's many friends, the Silber family created a memorial fund to establish the Silber Spine Tumor Clinic, which now is a part of the MGH Brain Tumor Center. In July 1998, the Silbers launched the Brian D. Silber Memorial Golf Tournament, which raised $60,000 in seed money for the clinic.

The clinic currently is accepting patients. A spine tumor conference, held after each patient is seen during the clinic, serves as a forum for physicians to review patients' cases.

"The model of multidisciplinary care that is provided by the MGH Brain Tumor Center also will work well for patients in the new clinic," says John Henson, MD, executive director of the MGH Brain Tumor Center. "This will be an important addition to our services."

With the establishment of the clinic, Loeffler and colleagues hope to conduct more clinical research on spinal cord tumors and potentially improve the outcome for patients struck by the rare disease.

"There is little known about the genetics and biology of these types of tumors," says Loeffler. "But with the spectrum of subspecialists here at the MGH and the support of this clinic, we hope to expand this research."

The Silbers plan to continue supporting the clinic financially by making the golf tournament an annual event. "There is nothing that will bring Brian back to us," says Sharon Silber. "But we need to continue this work in his name. If he had lived, he would have made a difference in people's lives – he already had. Our role is to continue making a difference for him."

The next Brian D. Silber Memorial Golf Tournament will be held July 21 at the Colonial Golf Club in Lynnfield, Mass. For more information about the fund, call the MGH Development Office at 4-6426. For more information about the MGH Spine Tumor Clinic, call 4-8770.