Brooke McLaurin, who battled a brain tumor in 2003 and then won the 2005 Miss NC Pageant, will give the keynote address at the 2007 AMF Banquet!

At the age of 21, Brooke McLaurin was diagnosed with a hemangioblastoma brain tumor. It was the size of a 9 mm bullet and was surrounded by a cyst the size of a large egg. The tumor was located in the cerebellum. Before her two brain surgeries, she was warned about the chances of having to learn to walk and talk again. Amazingly, she went on to win the 2005 Miss North Carolina crown! “I look back on this traumatic time in my life with strength, faith, and optimism: strength to carry-on, despite any situation; faith in the Lord that blessed me with a full recovery; and optimism that one can overcome any obstacle in life through faith and determination,” she proclaimed. She used her reign and time since then, to travel across the state educating fellow citizens about brain tumors, raising money for brain tumor research, and offering hope to those who battle disease. She hopes that her work will help to provide a tremendous increase in funding for the search for a cure so that one day brain tumors will be eradicated.