Eric Schmidt is doing it for his grandmother. It even says so on his T-shirt.

On June 15, the cancer survivor will run and walk 33 miles from Long Island to Brooklyn, raising funds for children with cancer in memory of his grandmother, who died of the disease.

"Thirty-three Miles for Grandma," he's calling his fund-raising effort, which starts at his father Mel's Huntington home. He estimates it will take seven hours to reach Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Glendale, where his grandmother, Faye Steiner, is buried.

His run will take place on what would have been her 89th birthday.

"My grandmother had a lot of faith in me growing up when few others did," said Schmidt, a Bethel, Conn., market researcher for the beverage and alcohol industry.
"After I lost her on June 29, 2002, that's when I decided to start doing this thing for the kids in her name and her honor," he said, his voice full of emotion.

A family history of cancer motivates Schmidt to help bring in money for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Asheville, N.C., that funds research and offers support services for young cancer patients and their families.

Schmidt's mother, Barbara, beat breast cancer. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October 2000, when he was 27.

"Mentally, I felt crushed," Schmidt said of the diagnosis. "In addition to hearing the word 'cancer,' I was also told that I might not be able to have children of my own," a possible complication of surgery he would undergo.

Before starting chemotherapy after the first of two operations, however, "My wife and I tried to have a child, and we wound up having a healthy baby born on my 28th birthday," Sept. 3, 2001, Schmidt said.

A year later, his grandmother died of inoperable sarcoma - cancer of the connective tissues. But in November 2003, "I was blessed with the birth of another healthy son," Schmidt said. "From these life-changing events, I decided to begin fundraising for the foundation."

His first effort was to participate in The Ride for Kids, a national organization of motorcyclists that raises money for children battling brain tumors. In August 2002, Schmidt went on a 90-minute group ride through the Hudson Valley upstate. He has done this for the past five years, contributing $16,000 to the foundation with the sponsorship of friends.

Last year, Schmidt decided to diversify. He added the run-walk and obtained $6,600 from both events. "I gained another $2,600 for the charity just by running," he said.

As she did in 2006, Schmidt's wife, Marni, will accompany him in a car, handing him water and energy bars as he needs them.

"I'm inspired by him every day, just the hard work and dedication he put into helping children," she said.

Aggie Alexander, director of development for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, is equally inspired.

"We rely on donations by individuals like Eric and companies to raise money and help us fight this terrible, terrible disease," she said.

About 3,600 children annually are affected by one of the 120 different kinds of brain cancer, the leading cancer killer of children in the United States, Alexander said.

Schmidt's commitment is "not a choice," he said. "It's something I have to do. I've been very fortunate in my life in a lot of different ways. I've been given an opportunity."

He started a Web site, www.firstgiving.com/ericschmidt2 for his collection of donations for the foundation.

A tattoo of a phoenix on his leg symbolizes "rising from the ashes," he said. "I want to be an inspiration to other people, letting them know nothing is impossible."