Laurie Dolgoff was a sweet, fun-loving, positive person who cared deeply about others. She met Louis when they were still in high school, and the two were happily married for 30 years. Laurie died nine days after her 55th birthday – 29 months after her initial brain cancer diagnosis. “Laurie remained incredibly positive and optimistic throughout her illness,” Louis says, “and because of that, she made it to the 95th percentile of survivability.”
“Laurie loved great craft beers and strong ales. She would only drink beers that had a whole lot of flavor. Otherwise, she said, she would not 'waste the calories.'”
On August 20 2009, Laurie was receiving hospice care at home. It was her birthday. Louis arranged a small party for her and her closest friends. “We served her favorite beers, Immort Ale, and Fort, both very strong beers. Laurie could not move her legs or arms so I gave her a little Immort and she smiled. A bit later I opened the bottle of Fort and she took a sip of that as well. As I was taking the glass away from her lips, she tried to reach out for more. I helped her hold the glass to her lips, and she took one more sip. That was the last thing she did! Laurie slipped into a coma shortly after that.”
Louis established the Beer for Brains Foundation in Laurie's honor. Each year, the BFBF awards the Laurie R. Dolgoff Humanitarian Award to someone in the beer industry who makes a difference in the fight against Brain Cancer.
“Laurie was the love of my life,” Louis says. “I can’t help her anymore, but through the foundation, I hope to help others stricken with brain cancer and to support groundbreaking work at the new Barrow Brain Tumor Research Center, which is associated with the Barrow Neurological Clinic, where Laurie received such excellent care.”
