Benefit to assist in funding research into two diseases

Cari Enderle stands with Tom Halbisen and her two daughters, Siera, 6, left, and Alyssa, 3. Enderle, who has von Hippel-Lindau disease and Halbisen who has multiple sclerosis are organizing a black tie benefit event to raise money to help the Cleveland Clinic perform research into the two diseases.

"My mother died of a brain tumor when I was seven," Cari Enderle, 32, Huraon, explains in a matter-of-fact manner.

A moment later, Enderle mentions that she found she had a life-threatening tumor in her abdomen when her daughter Siera, 6, was born.

"After she was born, I had brain surgery to remove a tumor," Enderle said.

So it goes for people who have VHL disease, a genetic tumor disease. Enderle's second daughter, Alyssa, 3, also has the disease.

She said she has received strong support from her physicians, Dr. Rick Visci and Dr. Richard Schuster, and her husband Randy.

Enderle and Tom Halbisen, 42, are organizing a black tie benefit event to raise money to help the Cleveland Clinic perform research into two diseases: VHL (which stands for von Hippel-Lindau disease) and multiple sclerosis, a disease Halbisen suffers from.

The Black Tie Gala is scheuled for 6 pnm October 20 at Lyman Harbor. The event, billed as a "grand evening of food and fun," will include a live band, ballroom dancing demonstration, a silent auction with many items, snacks and a cash bar.

The "black tie" part is a suggestion, and isn't mandatory, Halbisen said.

"If you're not comfortable with a suit, you can wear casual clothes too," Halbisen said.

Halbisen runs the Tom's Cruz Limousine Service and is sometimes known as "Tom Cruz". He learned about a couple of years ago he has MS.

"I deal with numb fingers, numb feet, sometimes difficulty getting up and walking," he said.

Enderle said she also has had tumors in her kidneys, pancreas, liver, eyes, adrenal glands and spine. When the tumors get large enough, they have to be removed by surgery," she said.

She said the VHL Family Alliance is also hosting a support meeting from noon to 5 pm October 20 at Lyman Harbor. Lunch will be served and doctors will speak.

Tickets for the Black Tie Gala are $30 per person. A corporate table tent with 8 guests is $300, while a corporate table tent is $100. A visual ad that will be flashed on Power Point th night of the event costs $50.