Colin Coogan is the co-owner of Green Up Plant Based Design, a plant design and landscaping company serving Connecticut and New York. His life took an unexpected turn when he was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, a rare, noncancerous brain tumor that develops on the nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain.

On January 21, 2026, Colin underwent surgery at Yale to remove the tumor. What was already a major and complex procedure became an even more difficult journey when he experienced serious complications following surgery, including a pulmonary embolism and a brain infection, which kept him in the hospital for an additional month.

Complicating his treatment and recovery even further, Colin is also living with Stage 4 kidney disease. This added another layer of complexity to an already challenging medical situation and required his doctors to carefully navigate his treatment, complications, and recovery while taking his kidney function into consideration.

Colin and his family are incredibly grateful to Yale Neurosurgery, Dr. Moliterno, and her entire team for their exceptional care, expertise, compassion, and dedication throughout his surgery and the difficult weeks that followed. Their work and support have played an invaluable role in getting Colin to where he is today.

Since then, Colin has been focused on healing, rebuilding his strength, and getting back to the work and life he loves at Green Up Plant Based Design. His experience has given him a firsthand understanding of how dramatically a brain tumor diagnosis can affect someone’s life—not only physically, but emotionally and practically—and how important knowledgeable medical care and a strong support system can be throughout that journey.

Colin is sharing his story at the CTBTA Brainstormin’ event on Thursday, September 17th at 6:00 PM at New England Brewing Co., 5 Indian Neck Ave., Branford, CT, with the hope of turning an incredibly difficult chapter of his life into something positive.

By sharing his experience, Colin hopes to raise awareness and funds for CTBTA and help support other individuals and families navigating brain tumors, treatment, and recovery. His goal is to help ensure that others facing similar circumstances know they do not have to go through them alone.