Brain injury walk in Eisenhower honors Colin Clive

The Brain Injury Association of New York State held its annual March on for Brain Injury Walk at Eisenhower Park on Saturday, Sept. 9. The walk raises awareness and funds for those who are dealing with a brain injury — which could be caused by cancer, a stroke, physical injury, benign tumors — among a multitude of other things.

The event brings together brain injury survivors, caregivers and professionals in the field to celebrate and honor the memory of the brain injury community. This year’s walk recognized medical honoree, Dr. Jason Ewards, who serves as the medical director of Inpatient Rehab and Brain Injury at the New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.

The association honored Colin Clive, as Long Island’s posthumous honoree. Clive, who is originally from Massapequa, died on July 3, 2023 at 31, following a lengthy battle with glioblastoma, which caused injuries to the brain.

Clive was first diagnosed with cancer back in 2018, his caretaker Roni Schneider said. She’d known Clive for most of his life, as her son was friends with him. Schneider is a nurse, and took care of her husband who had a stroke, so she was familiar with taking care of patients with brain injuries.

In 2020, Clive went into remission, thanks to success of several treatments.

What threw a massive wrench into Clive’s journey with cancer, is that both his parents unexpectedly died within 6 days of each other, in January 2021.

Clive’s cancer returned in December 2022, and again, he went through different forms of treatment and experimental trials.

“He knew that something was progressing,” Schneider said, “and in April, upon a visit that we were in the city for to get his immunotherapy, they said, you know, we’re sorry but we’re not going to be giving it to you anymore. The cancer was too far progressed. There’s nothing they could do anymore.”

Schneider said Clive’s courage and attitude throughout his battle was commendable.

“In all his support groups, he never really talked about himself,” she said. “He was always there, lending support to everybody else. And the only time he really talked about himself and his sadness, was the anniversary of his parents’ deaths.”

Schneider added that Clive had an excellent support group, made of his dad’s friends, who would visit him and help him, every day. “They called me the quarterback,” she said. “I was there to you know, navigate everything. It took a village.”

The March On for Brain Injury Walk occurs virtually and in three physical locations, including Long Island. The Long Island walk is striving to raise $40,000. People can donate to the cause through the end of September. 

For more information and to learn more about the association, its work and the Eisenhower walk, visit MarchOn.BIANYS.org.