The "Tumornators," a fundraising group formed by the brothers that raises money for the Children's Tumor Foundation, will hold its first big event, "Rock-4-Research," the night before the Georgia-Georgia Tech game at Peachtree Tavern in Atlanta.

The event will start at 6 p.m. and will include a silent auction and a meet and greet with Atlanta Braves right-fielder Jeff Franceour and former All American Bulldog, Matt Stinchcomb, who also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders. Concert performances will include the Wesley Cook Band and Matt Moore. Brothers Ben and Drew will also perform.

The VIP tickets, which include the meet and greet and silent auction before the concert as well as food and drinks, are $15, and general admission is $8.

The Tumornators was formed by Chad and Ben when their younger brother Drew was diagnosed with a rare nerve disease called schwannomatosis. The disease causes extreme pain due to tumors, sometimes larger than a softball, that grow around individual nerves. As of now, heavy medication to ease the pain and surgery to remove the tumors are the only options for treatment.

Drew has had 13 surgeries to remove or to debulk 16 tumors. The scars covering his body measure over six feet in length. Even after his surgeries, Drew suffers from extreme pain, although anyone who doesn't know his medical history could never tell.

Drew is a sophomore at Georgia College and State University and is trying to have as normal a college life as possible, telling hardly anyone about his condition. "I want to be remembered for things other than what's wrong with me," he said.

Although Drew battles pain daily and can no longer run, jump or play the sports he loves so much, he stays positive. He loves playing the guitar, and he helps coach the lacrosse team at GCSU, where he is studying to become a high school math teacher.

Chad and Ben Leathers have made it their mission to help raise research funds for the disease that afflicts their brother.

"We all need to do something," Chad said. "We can't just wait for a miracle cure."

The brothers' goal is to raise $100,000 for the Children's Tumor Foundation in New York. So far they've raised more than $56,000.

Drew is grateful for his brothers.

"They have been amazing," he said. "They caught me when I fell, you know?"

Nerve diseases like schwannomatosis affect roughly 1 in every 3,000 people. The neurofibramatosis are genetically determined disorders which affect more than 100,000 Americans, making it more prevalent than Cystic Fibrosis, hereditary Muscular Dystrophy, Huntington's disease and Tay Sachs combined.

Rock-4-Research is just one of the many fundraising efforts by the Tumornators. Jeff Franceour, a childhood friend of Chad's, donates $500 to the Tumornators for every home run he hits. Raising Canes is also helping by donating $1 for every combo purchased on the third Thursday of every month with the mention of the Tumornators.

On Oct. 16, Chad, Drew and Ben, flew down to Miami and appeared on the show Miami Ink, which will air sometime in the spring. The Tumornators are also planning a 5K race that will take place on April 19 in Athens.

The brothers hope that all of their fundraising efforts will result in increased awareness of the disease and more research dollars going towards finding a cure.