One Naples teen. One refusal to stay silent.
Minds Over Tumors began with one family's fight — and a teenager's refusal to let it stay silent. When founder Darren Nieves's sister Andrea was diagnosed with a central neurocytoma, he watched his family navigate everything that comes with a brain tumor diagnosis: the treatments at Moffitt, the bills insurance wouldn't cover, the emotional weight no one warns you about.
The medicine was hard. But what struck Darren most wasn't the treatment itself. It was watching other families in those same waiting rooms — parents stretched thin by hospital bills, parents who'd driven hours just to get there, parents trying to hold their child's hand and hold their household together at the same time. Andrea's courage became the foundation's beginning.
In 2025, Darren turned that experience into action. The inaugural gala raised over $200,000 in a single night. Today, the foundation works on behalf of every family that hears the words no parent should ever hear.
