June Brazil, of Tarrytown, NY passed away peacefully
on December 17th, with her son, Jessie, at her bedside. She was 43. June was born in Sleepy Hollow on June 9th,
1956. She received her B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from Marymount College in
Tarrytown in 1982, did graduate studies in Biochemistry at New York Medical
College, in Business Management at the University of Connecticut, and in
Computer Science at Pace University.?In 1989, she completed professional
studies in Acupuncture at Tri-State Institute in Stamford, CT. She worked as a
licensed acupuncturist, and was instrumental in enacting the 1990 Acupuncture
licensure law in New York State. An outstanding contributor to the practice and profession
of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in the U.S., June co-founded the Acupuncture
Society of New York (ASNY), and
served as president from 1990 to 1995. From 1991 to 1994 she was a Commissioner
on the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists (NCCA),
and as a Governor and Fellow of the National
Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, serving as President of the Academy during 1999 until her death.?
June did advanced studies in the Japanese Toyo Hari school
of Acupuncture and played a key role in bringing this study to the United
States. She served as President of the New York branch of the Japanese Toyo
Hari Medical Acupuncture Association from 1993 until her death. June was devoted to improving education in the field of
Acupuncture in this country. From 1990 through 1994 she was a member of the
Senior Faculty of Tri-State Institute of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture.?
She was a Certified Trainer (teacher of instructors) and a Certified
Instructor for the National Council of
Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
(NCCAOM) ?Clean Needle Technique.? From 1997 until her death, June was a member of the
Advisory Board for Mercy
College?s Graduate Program in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the first
integration of this curriculum into a regionally accredited comprehensive
college. Mercy College and Ms. Brazil?s family have established the June Brazil Fellowship in Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine Research. This fellowship provides a stipend to a
final year student in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Mercy College to
support original, independent research into the efficacy and utilization of
Acupuncture in an integrated, complementary setting. During her last six years, June valiantly battled Multiple
Myeloma, remaining vibrant and productive. Like most people diagnosed with
Myeloma, June had never heard of the disease before and was taken aback at the
aggressive, high-risk treatment recommendations she received.?An early
internet pioneer, June was able to identify more sensible options?
for the treatment of Multiple Myeloma by networking with other patients
and consulting scientific reference sources. Armed with information, June
devoted herself to helping thousands of fellow patients and their families deal
with the formidable emotional and medical challenges presented by the disease.
She worked closely with two specific organizations, the International
Myeloma Foundation (IMF) and the Association
of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR). June started in-person and telephone support groups for
myeloma. She facilitated an Internet support group with an ongoing membership of
over a thousand. She was a stalwart of the IMF
Patient/Family Seminars, where she was typically surrounded by people whom
she had helped who wanted to thank her in person.?
June also raised substantial funds for the IMF's research grant program.
In 1998, June was awarded the Francesca Thompson Distinguished Service Award
of the IMF. June was a member of the board of directors of ACOR.?
She also served on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cancer
Advisory Panel on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAPCAM). June also developed the web site "Multiple Myeloma Survivor
Stories", at mm.acor.org, which
offers detailed histories illustrating treatment strategies and lessons learned.
(It is now being maintained by June's husband, Dean, and appears on this IMF website as well.) June Brazil is survived by her husband, Dean
Gallea, and two sons, Jessie and David.
Her sister, Sandra Weinberg, lives in
the Netherlands, and her parents, Nat
and Isabelle Weinberg, live in Tarrytown. She also leaves two devoted
Dachshunds, Max and Elsa, and hundreds of friends. ?Donations may be made in June?s honor to: Contributions to support original research in Acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine can be made to:
Suite 206
North Hollywood, CA 91607
(800) 452-2873