Truckee, CA…Sometimes surprises come at the right time. Megan Kasden spoke through tears this week when she answered the phone and found out she had won the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund Super Bowl raffle. The prize is an all-expense paid trip for two to Super Bowl XLVIII at the Met Life Stadium. The raffle raised $30,000 for traumatic brain injury research and programs and services for cancer patients and families at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center. The same center where Kasden’s husband, Gary had just completed a long series of chemotherapy treatments.

“Gary and I are both over the moon about winning the raffle,” Kasden, a resident of Incline Village, Nev., said in a thank you note to the organization. “He’s already pulling thermals, ski masks, etc. for the trip. That gives you some idea! We never win anything so to break the spell with such a wonderful prize and for such a deserving charity is just perfect. I think that this, combined with Gary’s successful chemo sessions for his CLL, mark the beginning of a great new year for us.”

The prize, generously donated by the National Football League, supports the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund administered by the Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation. The drawing was held Monday night at Bar of America in Truckee, Calif. The general manager of the restaurant drew the lucky ticket.

Kasden and her husband will receive roundtrip coach airfare to New York, hotel accommodations for four nights, two tickets to Super Bowl XLVIII at the Met Life Stadium, and two tickets to the NFL Experience and the Madden Bowl. The raffle’s second prize winner, Kris Richards will receive a custom Xbox 360 from the 2013 Madden Bowl and an assortment of 13 games from EA Sports. Third prize winner, Steve Schutt will receive a GoPro video camera.

The Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund, held at Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation, is inviting individuals, businesses and corporations with family or friends who’ve been affected by cancer or mild traumatic brain injury to support the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center http://tahoecancercenter.com/ and the Tahoe Institute for Rural Health Research. The fund benefits cancer research, programs and care for cancer patients and their families, the advancement of medical technology, and research into mild traumatic brain injury. The Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund has raised nearly $670,000 since 2009.

Corporate and individual sponsorship opportunities are now available for the 2014 Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic July 13-14, http://www.gu63.org/ at the Golf Club at Gray’s Crossing in Truckee, Calif. This celebrity tournament is the signature event for the memorial fund.

Gene Upshaw served as executive director of the National Football League Players Association from June 1983 to August 2008, following a 16-year career as a member of the Oakland Raiders. A perennial All-Pro offensive guard, Upshaw was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, his first year of eligibility. He played in 217 league games and appeared in six Pro Bowls. Upshaw died in August 2008 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 63 at Tahoe Forest Hospital.

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About the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund
Gene’s wife, Terri, and sons Justin and Daniel, established the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund (http://www.gu63.org/gene-upshaw-memorial-fund) to recognize the extraordinary care he received at Tahoe Forest Hospital. The family partnered with Tahoe Forest Health System (http://tfhd.com/) to provide funding for important health programs and research.

The mission of the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund is to honor Upshaw’s legacy, advance his family’s passion for quality medical treatment, care for patients and their families, sustainability and advancement of medical technology, and to provide funding for research in areas such as traumatic brain injury.