Kira Faith Spedale was an 11-year-old triplet and resident of Elmhurst, IL and Fontana, WI. Kira loved Lake Geneva, where she first learned to swim and spent long summer days with her family. In May 2013, Kira was diagnosed with an inoperable, malignant brain stem tumor called DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma) and endured a pioneering fight. Join us to celebrate Kira’s life with music, laughter, raffles and fun when we Walk the Lake!

‍‍The Forbeck Foundation began in memory of Billy Guy Forbeck, who died of Neuroblastoma in 1984. The Foundation has hosted scientific forums for over 35 years, with many of those meetings being held in Lake Geneva, WI. Walk the Lake funded one of these forums on DIPG in 2019. From that meeting five junior researchers will continue to attend the Scholar Retreat here in Lake Geneva for 4 years. The proceeds from this year's Walk the Lake will fund an upcoming brain tumor meeting we will hold in 2025 in Lake Geneva.

Chaired by Laura Banaszynski, PhD, a basic science researcher, and Jay Sarthy, MD, PhD, a pediatric oncologist, both recipients of Forbeck Scholar Awards. This meeting also has the strong support of Dr. Nada Jabado, a pre-eminent scholar in the field of histone biology in cancer. This is expected to be a world-class meeting with a diverse group of scientists seeking to improve outcomes for children with cancer.