Stories

Sofia’s Story I was at volleyball practice as a healthy and active 16-year-old. My mom picked me up early from practice because I had a headache, and my arm was twitching. I went to the ER nearby. Had a CT scan where they saw something. I then had an MRI where they saw something, but it could […] January 29, 2025

My Sister’s Story Two years ago, my baby sister faced the unthinkable: at just 29 years old, she was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma, a tumor embedded in the speech fibers on the left side of her brain. The first hospital could only remove 50% of the tumor and gave her a heartbreaking prognosis — just five […] January 29, 2025

Against All Odds Hi, my name is Sarah, and I’m from Melbourne, Australia. I had acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a child in the early eighties, where no bone marrow transplants or stem cell therapy were available. As cancer cells got into my CSF around my brain, the only treatment in Australia at that time was intense radiation to […] January 29, 2025

Step Up Today Would you ever believe that a routine dentist visit could change your life forever? On July 1, 2009, I went to the dentist expecting nothing more than a quick checkup. But when the dentist told me I needed a tooth extracted, they also recommended I get an X-ray. The X-ray facility was closed, so the […] January 29, 2025

My Brain Tumor Journey: From Autopilot to Living a Life of Purpose It all started with what I thought was a routine eye exam. I had been experiencing headaches, dizziness, and some other odd symptoms, but like so many of us do, I chalked it up to stress and the busyness of life. I never expected my life to change quite literally in a blink of an […] January 29, 2025