Daniela Ruscetta grew up with a mom who was known as the life of the party, with a special affinity for disco music.

“My whole childhood, I remember listening to every ’70s song there ever was,” recalls Daniela.

It’s what inspired the theme for this year’s Love on the Brain event, a tribute to her late mother, Susan.

Susan’s diagnosis

Diagnosed with glioblastoma in May 2021, Susan struggled to carry on with the tasks and hobbies she once loved. She’d been suffering from frequent headaches and numbness in her limbs, which eventually rendered the left side of her body unable to function.

She had surgery that June, followed by 42 days of radiation, 17 months of chemotherapy, and several rounds of immunotherapy.

“It was a lot to watch, so I can’t even imagine what it was like for her,” says Daniela.

Twenty-two months after her diagnosis, Susan sadly passed away at age 61.

Honouring Susan

During Susan’s treatment, Daniela and her family had participated in a fundraising walk to support Princess Margaret Hospital, where Susan was being treated. They ultimately decided to find a different way to fundraise in her honour, that was more “her.”

“I remember having 20 people at my house, whether it was a Tuesday or a Saturday night,” Daniela says.

“My mom was always hosting, and so we wanted to do something where we could host others, too.”

Susan was also on a committee that put together a dinner and dance benefitting her hometown, which is in Italy.

“She loved to dance,” Daniela says, “and she loved big, social gatherings. So I can’t think of a better way to honour her than with our Love on the Brain event.”

The first event, in 2024, featured a 1920s Gatsby theme.

“I felt like that was a good way to introduce the event,” Daniela says.

In the first year alone, approximately 400 people attended. With funds tallied up from that night, along with those raised since the idea for the event came about in late 2023, $38,000 was donated to Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.

A night to remember

The second annual event saw even more participants, with a little over 500 attendees—despite the 10-cm snowfall outside.

“For weeks, I’d been hearing about people from all over who were planning to attend the event,” says Daniela. “One of my friends was shopping for a dress and she overheard someone in the changeroom say she was looking for a dress for an event that Saturday, and it happened to be the same event. Then, my dad’s cousin was getting her hair done and someone at the salon mentioned she was going to a brain tumour fundraiser that weekend, which was also our event. The reach is growing and so many people have shown support.”

That includes more than 50 donors and 30 sponsors who helped make the event happen.

The glitzy, disco ball-inspired photo backdrop, surrounded by a colourful, metallic balloon arch, set the stage for many smiling selfies throughout the evening. A pre-dinner antipasto bar let guests mingle and chat, followed by a seated dinner that was emceed by Daniela’s cousin, Jennifer.

Aside from losing her cousin to a brain tumour, Jennifer has also experienced raising a son with a brain injury. Her compassion, caring and family connection made her an ideal emcee.

Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada’s interim CEO, Nicole Farrell, also spoke, before a mid-dinner performance from the University of Toronto’s dance team.

“We wanted to get people going and keep them on their feet,” Daniela says.

With more dancing, raffles, a silent auction and a photo booth, amongst other activities, it was a fun-filled night that Susan surely would have loved.

“We wanted to show the guests, ‘You’re here for us, but we also want to be here for you,’” Daniela says. “That’s what my mom was like. ‘Come over for someone’s birthday and we’ll have cake and coffee, but here’s a 15-course spread before we have cake and coffee.’ We wanted to mimic that for our guests that night.”

Susan’s birthday was February 15, during the “month of love,” as Daniela says, so calling the event Love on the Brain and hosting it in February just fit.

Keeping Susan’s legacy alive

Daniela plans to continue with it as an annual event, taking place every February before the long weekend. Guests are already looking forward to it, telling her they can’t wait to come back next year.

“That’s the goal,” she says. “I want to make people happy and I want them to be return guests.”

Love on the Brain has raised an astounding $79,000 to date, with the amount going directly to Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.

At the end of the night, Susan’s family gravitated towards the dance floor with her favourite beer in hand.

“There were probably 20 of us,” Daniela recalls. “We all showed up on the dance floor at the same time, and it was very nostalgic because that—that was her.”

For more on the Love on the Brain event, please visit the website or Instagram page.