Ellen Lawson pays tribute to late husband with gift to support brain cancer caregivers

Ellen and Chris Lawson were best friends and business partners. Happily married for more than 20 years, their shared love for canines and adventure took form in a dog-toy business called Fluff & Tuff, which they launched together as a passion project after previous successful careers. So, when Chris was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor, it upended their entire life.

“When we got the diagnosis, all of the sudden it felt like we were on this moving walkway, and it just kept moving whether we liked it or not,” Ellen said.

After undergoing an initial surgery at another health system to treat his tumor, Chris was referred to Henry Ford’s Hermelin Brain Tumor Center. The expertise of the Hermelin team makes it a robust source of clinical trials, enabling our providers to focus on finding new solutions to treat glioblastoma and stem this deadly disease.

“He was there for his entire treatment and everyone at Henry Ford was wonderful,” Ellen said. “I had a sense of confidence in the care he was receiving, but also tremendous respect for what he was going through.”

After a brave fight through his cancer journey, Chris passed away in 2020, leaving Ellen with grief over his death — and gratitude for his life and the compassionate care he received.

“Even as he lost some abilities, the brain tumor center team really helped him maintain his dignity in a way that was lovely, and not so clinical,” Ellen shared. “I was really appreciative of that.”

Through the course of Chris’s treatments, Ellen was able to take a break from running the business to focus on caregiving, a choice that she feels fortunate to have been able to make.

As a tribute to Chris and an act of generosity for other families living with glioblastoma, Ellen made a donation to launch the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center Game On Cancer fund, a community giving program that supports Henry Ford brain tumor patients and their families through the many challenges of cancer.

Bolstered by a fundraising effort supported by Chris’s friends, customers and colleagues, Ellen’s gift has been directed to help other caregivers as they support loved ones experiencing brain cancer.

“For me, giving is a way to feel like there is a sense of – in an odd way – community with others who are living through this otherwise isolating experience, even though I may never meet the people that it benefits,” Ellen said. “I just have empathy for anybody else going through it.”