Powerless Yet Powerful

by Tyler Beam

My name is Tyler Beam and I have an anaplastic oligodendroglioma. I have had two craniotomies, just finished my fourth cycle of Temodar, and started radiation therapy in March.

Never a Dull Moment

by Brenda Brady

People have asked me how I feel about my healing journey. I was diagnosed in December 2007 and I can remember it as if it were yesterday.

Maintaining Hope

by Debbie Janssen

All I knew about brain tumors before I was diagnosed with one was how romantic they seemed in movies. But when I got the news 21 years ago that I had an anaplastic astrocytoma, I remember thinking “there’s absolutely nothing good or romantic about this. This is a death threat.” My husband and I were told I had six months to live.

Award-Winning Artist Keeps on Fighting

by Nancy Douglas

Nine years ago I was fighting for the rights of west coast fishermen as a public relations consultant in Oregon. I was in the middle of a letter-writing campaign on the evening of December 17, 1996. That was when everything changed.

Never Give Up

by Scott Kempf

As a freshman at Purdue University, I noticed I was slowly developing balance problems.

A Family’s Survival

by Catherine Stryker

Our daughter Cheryl was 24 years old and had been married only one year when she began having headaches and dizzy spells.

God Gives Us Wings But Faith Makes Them Fly

by Maria Hartmann

It is a privilege to write my survival story. I hope it reminds everyone not to lose perspective of what is important.

Unconditional Love

by Charlie Toth

'I'm sorry….' I thought the doctor was apologizing for the long wait we’d had in the emergency room. After pausing a couple of seconds she came right out and said, 'You have a brain mass.'

Trust Your Feelings

by Dart Winkler

If I were to give advice to a brain tumor patient, I would say, “trust your feelings and intuition.” I have always “known” when things were wrong with me before the doctors told me – and sometimes before they even happened.

Finding Peace and Empowerment

by Scott Norris

Unbelievable. That's the word that kept coming to mind the first couple of times I went to my oncologist. Unbelievable.

Coping with Reduced Stamina

by Marie B. Riehle

Two and a half years ago, I was diagnosed with an anaplastic oligoastrocytoma in my left temporal lobe. The combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy consumed nearly a year, and my recovery lasted almost a second year. Now in the third year of my "new life," I'm facing problems with speech, reading, stability, and stamina.

Blessings In Disguise

by Cyndy Noel

I wear the piece of my skull that was removed during my craniotomy on a cord around my neck. It's small - only about an inch square. Yet it serves as a reminder that I am lucky to be alive. It also reminds me of the importance of engaging in life fully from moment to moment.

Thinking Positive

by Zazel-Chavah O'Garra

Once rendered immobile after her surgery to remove a brain tumor, Zazel-Chavah O'Garra shares how dance and a positive outlook helped her reclaim her body.

Blessed with a 'Second Chance'

by Floretta Connally

If you ask Floretta Connally what she had wished for this Christmas, she'll tell you nothing because her wish had already come true.

Life is a Journey, Not a Destination

by Jenelle Rose

My name is Jenelle Rose. I am 19 years old. I suffered from horrible headaches and migranes for a year prior to finding out about my tumor. It wasn't until June 3, 2002 at about 3:30 in the morning that I finally realized something was terribly wrong with me.

The Benefits of Having a Brain Tumor

by Kurtis Roose, RN

Many people will look at this title and wonder if maybe I received a bit too much chemotherapy or radiation. I might have, but I'm alive today.

Which Door Did You Choose?

by Jennifer Neale

Four years ago my life changed while attending a conference in Las Vegas. As Executive Vice President at McGraw-Hill, I was committed to attending two big annual meetings a year.

Making Miracles Happen

by Gregory White Smith

They said I had three months to live. According to the doctors, a benign brain tumor, which I had been managing nicely (thank you) for more that a decade, had suddenly turned malignant.

Damn the Statistics

by Richard Pittman

Seven years ago I enjoyed a career in corporate finance with a Fortune 100 company that took me around the world, and a family life in southern California just blocks from the beach. But in the rough and tumble world of corporate politics, choice assignments and promotions went to others as I forgot meetings, confused crucial details, and stumbled through well-practiced presentations. Diane, my wife, saw the changes in me, but I ignored them and pushed ahead.

Why Me? Why Not Me. It is me.

by Linda Kendall

It started with a headache that never went away. Then, my foot started to feel numb. I didn't think the two were related and neither did my primary care physician.

The Biggest Race of My Life

by Jody Feltz

A dream come true, that's how 17-year-old Jody Feltz describes the memorable moment when the 2002 Winter Olympic torch was placed in her hands.

The Love of Family

by Billy Sonier

My life changed forever when my brain tumor was discovered. I'll never forget that day.

Fighting for Survival

by Alan Hackman

In September 1990, three symptoms began to appear from in my body: a slight dizziness in my head, a loss of memory, and an involuntary movement on the left side of my body.

A Mother's Story

by Cheryl Corolewski

It seems like yesterday my husband and I were standing in a hospital room on the pediatric wing of Meriter Hospital with our beautiful, then 2-year-old, daughter Hannah, sleeping soundly due to sedation for the first time in almost nine months.

From Denial to Hope

by Stacy Tyler

It has been a long journey full of faith and fear, denial and hope.

Never Give Up!

by Pam Rehwald

If you were to look up the word "determination" in the dictionary, you might someday find the name of artist Pam Rehwald as part of the definition.

Celebrating Survival

by Mari Gardner

When Mari Gardner's brain tumor symptoms first surfaced in 1980, no one could have predicted such a happy ending for her story.

A Journey Filled with Miracles...

by Laura Medleau

When we were first married my husband and I agreed that if we had kids that would be great and if we didn't that would be fine too.