Cherie was born in Carmel, California. As a “Military Brat,” she lived in Arizona, Colorado, and Virginia. During her school years, Cherie was an outstanding student with an IQ of 167; she was also an exceptional athlete, performing as a cheerleader. She graduated from the University of Central Florida in Orlando in 2000, and majored in Art and Graphic Arts. Cherie was a creative and talented illustrator, sculptor, and painter. Cherie’s last job was as a graphic artist working for a major oil and gas company in Denver, Colorado. She was very proud of her family’s legacy of military service to America, with both grandfathers serving as officers, one in the Navy during the WWII and the other serving in the Army in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Cherie adored both her grandmothers and loved her brother, Mom, and Dad very much. She also had many, many admiring friends. Cherie was a Christian and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Steve was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; his father was a Presbyterian Minister. Candy was born in Fort Jackson, South Carolina; her father was an Army officer. She lived on multiple military installations in the Panama Canal Zone, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, California, New Jersey, Kansas, Paris France, and Arizona. Candy met Steve while he was attending the United States Air Force Academy. Upon graduation, they served America for three decades in the Air Force. Their early assignments included a tour in missile operations and staff positions at the Pentagon as well as Headquarters Space Command. Steve commanded a space surveillance squadron, space group, and a space wing. He also served during the Global War on Terrorism in Operations Enduring Freedom, Noble Eagle, and Iraqi Freedom. Following his military service, Steve was employed with a defense contractor and worked as a board director for a public company. In addition to their daughter Cherie … their son Steve, daughter-in-law Stephanie, and granddaughter Harriet are part of their family. Steve and Candy are both Christians and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Dr. Lillehei is currently the Kindt-Ogsbury Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He performed his undergraduate training at Cornell University, his medical school at the University of Minnesota and his Neurosurgery training at the University of Michigan. Since coming to Colorado his clinical interests have centered around the treatment of central nervous system tumors; including pituitary tumors, benign and malignant gliomas, spinal cord tumors, acoustic neuromas and complex skull base lesions. He is Director of the Neurosurgery Neuro-Oncology Laboratory with his research interests revolving around the genetics of pituitary tumors and the treatment of malignant gliomas. In particular, he is interested in studying the role of the immune system in intracranial tumor recognition and eradication, and is exploring the use of various tumor vaccines as adjuvant therapy for the treatment of malignant gliomas. To date, Dr. Lillehei has performed over 1,600 pituitary surgeries and is Co-director of the University of Colorado Neuro-Endocrine Service.