Voices Against Brain Cancer Commends Tech Startup Co-Founder for Positive Outlook Despite Grim Diagnosis

Voices Against Brain Cancer, an organization dedicated to brain cancer research and advocacy, commends Ronnie Castro for launching his new startup, Porch.com, despite his battle with brain cancer.

Voices Against Brain Cancer commends Ronnie Castro, a co-founder of startup Porch.com, for his positive outlook and will to succeed despite his battle with brain cancer.

According to an October 19, 2013 article published by Business Insider titled “How Ronnie Castro Launched His Startup, Porch.com, While Fighting Brain Cancer,” Ronnie Castro successfully launched his new startup, Porch.com, despite his current battle with brain cancer. Doctors say he has a 50 percent chance of living 10 more years, but he’s hopeful he’ll “beat the odds.”

Back in April 2013, Castro went to the doctor for what he thought was a sinus infection. The doctors performed a routine MRI and found a brain tumor. Almost immediately, Castro underwent brain surgery, where doctors removed 90 % of the tumor, and other harrowing chemo and radiation treatments.

Castro decided he wasn’t going to let the disease get in the way of what he wanted to do with his life. In the midst of his treatments, Castro founded Porch.com with a close friend, Matt Ehrlichman. The startup “helps people find home improvement professionals by letting them see pictures of other projects done in their own neighborhoods.”

Castro credits the startup and his family for saving his life and making the treatment worthwhile. “I absolutely think about things differently now. A lot has to do with Porch. If I was doing anything else, I would have quit,” he says. But his startup and family “helped me through. I’m working with a good friend and a team I built. If I come in and I’m not feeling well, the people around me can pick me up, make it easier.”

He also encourages others to live their dreams instead of settling for some “dead end situation or job.” “There’s always going to be hard times,” he says. “Cancer makes it easier to decide the stuff that’s important to you. But there’s no reason to wait until something bad happens to change. Time is the most precious thing there is and there’s zero reason to waste it.”

Michael Klipper, Chairman of Voices Against Brain Cancer, an organization dedicated to brain cancer research and advocacy, commends Castro for his upbeat outlook and drive to continue living his life despite his illness. “Ronnie was given a prognosis that may make some want to give up,” he says. “Instead, he embraces his life and continues to live out his dream. His positivity serves as an inspiration for all of us in the brain cancer community. We wish him continued success with his company and his health.”

VABC has a wide variety of initiatives in place for brain cancer research, awareness and support. The organization’s research grants fund cutting-edge research programs that will have a monumental impact on the diagnosis and treatment of brain cancer. VABC currently funds research at several esteemed institutions such as Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cleveland Clinic, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Yale, to name a few.

VABC’s mission is to find a cure for brain cancer by advancing scientific research, increasing awareness within the medical community and supporting patients, their families and caregivers afflicted with this devastating disease.