Forever Optimistic

Join a high-powered lawyer on his fight for life against brain cancer and his continuing efforts to remain Forever Optimistic. At age fifty-five, Robert S. Brams, a former college athlete, was in perfect health. Bob was blessed with a beautiful family, including his wife and two children. He had a circle of close friends and a hard-driving international law practice as partner at one of the most prestigious firms in Washington, DC. But after a fateful car accident, an MRI scan revealed a shadow on his brain that suddenly shattered his carefully constructed life. Brams was diagnosed with brain cancer—one of the most overwhelming challenges a person can face. What would the future hold for Brams and his family? Brams has been through six extraordinary years—four hospitals, two brain surgeries, a seizure, a stroke, a coma, life support, ICUs, radiation, chemotherapy, various rehab regimens, a hemophilia diagnosis, and countless MRIs. With all this, Brams’s insurers categorized him as a “Catastrophic Loss.” Despite all that’s happened, Brams is still in the fight, and he is determined to achieve an important purpose—to help beat brain cancer. While his legal career has ended, his continuing struggles have caused him to reprioritize his values and change his perspective on what really matters in life. Having stood at death’s door and now confronted with an uncertain prognosis, Brams’s insights on life, love, family, education, business, and finding your passion take on a distinctive power and clarity. Readers from every walk of life looking for inspiration and motivation will find it in Brams’s remarkable story. Struggles, setbacks, and failures in his youth were “no fun,” but with optimism and determination, Brams found his best path and ultimately succeeded. He reminds us that it’s not where you start, but rather where you finish.   Inspiring, powerful, and eminently readable, Forever Optimistic: Fighting Brain Cancer, Finding Your Best Path, and Leading a Life With Purpose is by turns moving, humorous, and brimming with hard-won wisdom. Brams’s story is one of remarkable courage in the face of tragedy. Please support the brain cancer fight at www.1MBBC.com.

Robert S. Brams practiced law for over thirty years, including as a partner in the Washington, DC offices of Patton Boggs and Greenberg Traurig. In both firms, he served as either a practice group chair or co-chair of the Real Estate, Government Contracts, and Construction Projects groups. He handled development matters, as well as claims and disputes around the world on major infrastructure projects, frequently in the Middle East. He served as lead counsel on the Hurricane Katrina and the Super Storm Sandy cleanup projects. He has handled matters involving dams, tunnels, airports, bridges, railways, corporate headquarters, and data centers, as well as disputes arising on the Big Dig project in Boston. He was a frequent author and lecturer on a variety of infrastructure development issues. He has been recognized as a “Best Lawyer” by various organizations and publications, and identified as an “Eminent Practitioner” by Chambers, the leading publication ranking top lawyers in the world.