John's Tumor
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This blog is all about how John used humor to remain sane while dealing with the insanity of a brain tumor the size of his wife's fist.
John's Tumor
3y ago
I found this headline and the latest brain tumor news upsetting, horrifying and painful: "Brain Cancer Now Leading Childhood Cancer Killer” - http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/09/16/health/ap-us-med-childhood-cancer.html?_r=1
I keep bumping into folks who have recently received bad brain tumor news. Sometimes they find me and sometimes I reach out to them.
Usually they just want to tell their story – their symptoms, diagnosis, etc. – to somebody who has an idea of what they are going through. It isn’t fun or easy or rewarding, its hard and depressing. But I feel like I need to give the ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
I hate Ependymoma. It's a vicious and unrelenting form of brain cancer that disproportionately attacks very young children and young adults.
Since we have a great friend who's fighting a very, very tough battle with brain cancer right now, so for me the wonderful work that the CERN Foundation is doing feels a light in a very deep and dark tunnel of darkness.
Our ability to Ependymoma isn’t great, although many scientists, including the wonderful ones supported by the CERN Foundation are trying their best to find a cure (more likely cures).
I thought you should know that I just received an ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
As a brain tumor survivor, I am constantly on the lookout for ways to improve my brain health. I am also a sucker for lists on how to improve myself. So I found this list of “20 Must-Know Facts to Harness Neuroplasticity and Improve Brain Health” written by Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains, helpful, insightful and inspiring. Here’s a link: http://www.creativitypost.com/science/20_must_know_facts_to_harness_neuroplasticity_and_improve_brain_health
There is more than one “It” in “Use It or Lose It” -- our performance depends on a variety of brain functions and cognitive skills, not just o ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
I often re-post articles about celebrities because:
I sense that knowing a celebrity with a brain tumor somehow helps brain tumor victims feel like they aren’t the only ones fighting this wicked disease.
It draws attention to the need for a cure among the celebrities’ following which almost always expands beyond the brain tumor community of victims, survivors, doctors and the like.
It humanizes the impact of brain cancers.
So Today I ran across an article about Gord Downie from the Canadian Press who reports that “Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip begins what is being billed as its fin ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
This headline in “Science World Report” my eyeballs and didn’t let go until I read the very short article - http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/42985/20160630/new-liquid-aspirin-found-to-be-ten-times-more-effective-in-killing-cancer-cells-than-chemotherapy.htm
I then tracked down an article posted on MedicalNewsToday.com http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/311306.php- that gave more details. The article’s headline reported that “At a scientific meeting this week, researchers hail their evidence about a new soluble drug containing liquid aspirin as a potential breakthrough ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
That’s the headline of a story I’ve just reread that was written by Dennis Thompson of HealthDay - http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-useless-cancer-treatments-terminal-health-0622-20160607-story.html
This news makes me wince uncomfortably.
Thompson reports that “An analysis of insurance records found that cancer patients often undergo chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery in their final 30 days.”
I’m trying to better understand this and having trouble. Does this mean that concerned doctors are trying to save patients right up to the last second? Or does i ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
Here’s some potentially good news from Ryan Cross who wrote about Alexandre Carpentier (pictured above), a neurosurgeon at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, who used “ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, the most common and deadly tumor originating in the adult brain—allowing for delivery of chemotherapy that would otherwise reach the tumor in minuscule amounts” - https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601691/ultrasound-opens-the-brain-to-promising-drugs/
As background, you should know that the protective sheath surrounding the brain’s blo ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
I’ve always thought that obesity and diabetes were risk factors for meningioma.
But the results of a research study in The British Journal of Cancer reports findings that contradict that belief and previous studies. Here’s a link to the abstract: http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/bjc2016157a.html
Science Daily highlighted this contradiction writing “In a surprising twist, benign brain tumors that have previously been tied to obesity and diabetes are less likely to emerge in those with high blood sugar, new research has found.”
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
I highly recommend this conference.
You will find great brain tumor surgeons, researchers, victims, caregivers, and friends and family members. I’ve found everybody who attends to be good listeners and full of honest advice and time to listen to you and your concerns.
Here’s the link: http://hope.abta.org/site/TR?fr_id=3521&pg=entry
The opening sentence of the email from the ABTA about the conference says “The ABTA’s annual Patient and Family Conference is where patients, families and caregivers come together to learn more about the latest advances in brain tumor research, tre ..read more
John's Tumor
3y ago
I heard some good advice from a guy whose wife’s best friend was diagnosed with glioblastoma, Grade 4, it was something like “enjoy every day.”
I had a hard time with that advice for a while – how could they enjoy life knowing that she had this horrible disease eating away at her, inexorably dragging her into the grave?
I now think differently about this advice. I don’t believe the advice is trite or Pollyanna-ish or divorced from reality. I think its sound advice that reminds us all to cherish what health and family we have while they are with us.
I know of no other story that tugs ..read more