Believe in Progress: an American Association for Cancer Resear…

In this episode, we hear the remarkable story of how a son, an elder brother, and a family dealt with a devastating cancer diagnosis with love and determination. When George John "GJ" Gerner III was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) at the age of 27 in 2017, he and his close-knit family came together.

Inspired by GJ's grit, his younger brother, Colin Gerner, founded and now leads StacheStrong: a foundation that has become one of the most dynamic forces in brain cancer research. Eight years in, Colin shares his family's deeply personal journey behind StacheStrong.

GJ fought his disease with extraordinary resilience, humor, and a signature mustache that he shaved down before brain surgery to keep the mood light for his family. That simple gesture became the symbol of a movement none of them could have imagined. Colin describes his brother as someone who never let the disease define him, running a sub-eight-minute mile 5K a year into treatment, going back to work, and focusing on others’ feelings. In 25 months, GJ showed his family and community what it meant to live with this disease.

What started as a personal outlet for Colin to process his brother’s illness quickly grew into a foundation that has now funded more than $7 million in brain cancer research across more than 65 grants and 40 institutions. Colin describes StacheStrong's innovative collaborative funding strategy, partnering with organizations like the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) and the V Foundation to co-fund high-quality research grants, effectively doubling the impact of every dollar raised. He also discusses his current effort to become a top global fundraiser at the 2026 Boston Marathon, where he and three teammates are raising more than $200,000 to support a five-year, $1 million grant to accelerate glioblastoma research.

Colin reflects on what "StacheStrong is a lifestyle" really means, why he rejects the term "caregiver," and what it will feel like to cross a marathon finish line for the first time without his brother by his side.

Featured Guest: Colin Gerner, Founder, President, and CEO, StacheStrong

Colin is also a Manager and Tax Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he has spent his entire career, and leads the humanitarian portfolio for the PwC Foundation. He holds an accounting degree and a master's in taxation. He has provided marathon running opportunities to hundreds of StacheStrong supporters across events in New York, Chicago, Dublin, Rome, Copenhagen, Sydney, and Berlin.

Key Topics:

• Remembering GJ: The person behind the mission

• GJ's glioblastoma diagnosis and 25-month struggle against the disease

• The origin of the StacheStrong mustache and brand

• Building a nonprofit with no prior experience

• StacheStrong's collaborative research funding model

• Partnering with the AACR and V Foundation on grant giving

• The 2026 Boston Marathon campaign and $1M grant

• 50 charity bibs at the 2026 New York City Marathon

• "StacheStrong is a lifestyle": What it means to the community

• Why Colin rejects the word "caregiver"

• The hidden GJ in the StacheStrong logo