We invite you to stand with us in supporting the Connecticut Brain Tumor Alliance by making a contribution to our team and sharing this page with your family and friends. Every dollar raised brings us one step closer to making a real impact in the fight against brain tumors.

Our team is walking and running in honor of our very own hero and survivor, Zac Allen. In August 2024, Zac experienced a seizure and was diagnosed with what doctors believed to be an AVM—an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that bypasses normal oxygen flow to the brain. As a dedicated wedding photographer, Zac’s first thought was of his couples—he wanted to ensure their special days were captured before scheduling his surgery in October, his busiest month of the season.

But on October 11, the day of his surgery, everything changed. What was expected to be the removal of an AVM mass turned out to be something far more serious—a glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive brain tumor that affects only 3 in 100,000 brain cancer patients. The news was devastating, but in true Zac fashion, he met it head-on—with unwavering determination and a fighting spirit.

Zac has undergone six weeks of daily chemotherapy, radiation, and completed treatment on Christmas Eve in 2024. He has since completed another 6 rounds of chemotherapy in 2025, and is continuing chemotherapy in 2026. His last scan in February 2026, showed great improvement and diminished, almost non existent nodules from his previous scan! While this was a huge victory, his fight isn’t over. Zac is currently unable to drive and has to give up more than half of his wedding photography work due to back to back seizures at the end of 2025. He is looking forward to finishing up his last three rounds of his most recent 6 rounds of chemo. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but he continues to fight the challenges head on. Through it all, Zac’s tenacity, positivity, and love for his 9-year-old son, Greyson, have been his driving forces.

In 2025, Zac was presented with The Courage Award through Hartford Hospital and his incredible care team. Although it was an emotional moment for all of us, we knew how deeply he deserved that award and continues to live out the meaning of COURAGE every single day. This year, we will walk for those who are going through the unimaginable. We walk for him. We walk for every fighter, every survivor, and in memory of those we’ve lost to this disease as we are fortunate enough to report that Zac is thriving, healthy and living proof that a courage and positivity can help you through the darkest of moments.

We ask you to join our team and walk alongside Zac and Greyson—as a show of strength, hope, and commitment to making a difference.

Together, we can and will make an impact. ❤️

(If you are interested in also making a donation to Zac directly, please reach out to Elizabeth Allen)