Printable Biography of Diem Brown

Whether inspiring those who watched her public battle with Ovarian Cancer on MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenges, or motivating those around her to change the communities in which they live, Diem is a role model for strength, perseverance and good will. Having a life full of struggle and heartache has not dulled this shinning, charismatic and enlightened young lady. At the early age of 24, Diem already faced death and started up a successful non-profit and Internet company that strives to change the way in which we look at health care and charity: LIVE for the Challenge.

Born an army brat to an Aussie and an American, Diem has traveled her whole life, but gathering most of her personality fabric from being raised in Roswell, GA. A true Southern Belle: stubborn, persistent but with an undying bleeding heart for those around her. From a young age she loved the idea of being a reporter and learning other people's stories and how everyone has much more in common than most would think. Love, family, hope, fear - these are all the emotions that make the world go round.

While pursuing her degree for broadcast communications she was dealt the first major blow in her life, the tragic and sudden loss of her mother. Although hard, she graduated early to become an entertainment reporter in Los Angeles for the Associated Press, her dream job. However something was missing: she felt like she had grown up too fast, so on a whim Diem decided to try out for MTV's Real World and was cast on MTV's Fresh Meat Challenge. While training, Diem kept feeling this growing pain in her lower stomach area and ignored it. Every time she would eat the pain would get worse and worse and she noticed some distension, but again she ignored it. Finally after playing a beach game of football with her friends, a sudden hit made her collapse to the ground and feel the most intense pain she could ever imagine. They found the two-liter sized tumor; she had Ovarian Cancer.

Diem is a strong willed and caring personality. Her love for other people and their struggles is evident by the website she created (Live for the Challenge) while going through her own chemotherapy treatments. Diem's story is inspiring and her energy contagious to get up and help those around you! In her stage appearances she instills in listeners her belief that with determination and focus, people can achieve virtually anything they set out to accomplish. She entertains and empowers audiences with her moving personal stories.