May is National Brain Cancer Awareness Month

May is National Brain Cancer Awareness Month and I’d like to take some time to talk about brain cancer and my experiences with it.

I do not have brain cancer. I never have, and hopefully I never will. But someone in my immediate family has had a brain tumor and it is a very scary experience. My mother’s tumor was caught after it had been growing for a while, but luckily nothing happened too late. After about a year of treatments and undergoing very stressful doctor’s visits, a procedure was done to remove the tumor in 2015. I missed seeing my first play produced so that I could sit in the waiting room during the four hour surgery, checking in with my father, sister, brother, and grandmother and waiting to hear whatever happened.

My uncle also had a brain tumor, but he did not survive it. He died when he was only four years old because of the complications caused by the cancer. You can only imagine the strain and stress that such emotional hardships have placed on my mother and grandmother.

Luckily, my mother’s tumor removal was successful and, though there have been scares here and there, she seems to be recovering years later without many problems. But that doesn’t mean it’s gone. Something like this stays with a person, inspiring this fear and concern that maybe it’ll return, maybe it’ll come back, maybe it’s not finished just yet.

And it doesn’t just stay with the victim, but with everyone around the victim. My siblings and I wonder if this is hereditary and, if so, will it happen to one of us? How would we know to catch it in time? Can we do anything to prevent it?

It’s scary, and I wish none of the experiences on anyone- but I know they’re out there. About 138,000 people in the United States right now are living with malignant brain tumors that threaten to claim their lives. About 20%-40% of people with other forms of cancer will develop a brain metastases. This is a very real threat.

Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot you can do to prevent brain cancer- it’s kind of going to happen or it won’t. But you can stay vigilant of changes in your body that may be markers of brain tumors. My mom noticed a big problem when a blind spot in her vision increased rapidly. Onset of seizures can be another indicator, or even constant fatigue. It’s important to be vigilant about your body and mood and to check in about abrupt changes.

Really, I advise above all that you go to your annual checkup. So many people I care about (including the love of my life) hate doctors and don’t go as often as they should- but please, please, please go. You never know when something like blood pressure changes are completely changing the way you live your life, or when that unusual migraine is an indicator of something more important.

I’d like to offer myself up as a contact to anyone going through the traumas and difficulty of cancer. Whether it’s affecting you personally, or someone you love, or even someone you used to know well, it can be very trying and upsetting. Get in touch with us here at Stressless and I'll return your message.

For May, our endorsed charity for the month is The National Brain Tumor Society. You can click their name to research the organization and we hope you consider donating to help families undergoing the expensive and traumatic treatment process. Let us know that you’ve donated and we’ll give you an honorable mention in an upcoming post (and maybe some special treats!).

Love to you all! Help to make people suffering from brain tumors become stressless once again!