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 spend 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!

All proceeds from this year’s event will directly fund the DIPG Scholars attending the 2022 Fall Scholar Retreat held in Fontana, WI.

• Jessica Foster, MD - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Nneka Mbah, PhD - University of Michigan
• Cassie Kline, MD, MAS - UC San Francisco
• Jay Sarthy, PhD - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

‍‍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 their participation in this program. Events such as these and small nonprofits are crucial to supporting researchers who focus on rare cancers.