How to Help Patients with Brain Tumors Navigate Speech and Language Challenges Today, nearly 1 million Americans are estimated to be living with a brain tumor. Depending on their tumor’s location, some patients with brain tumors face ongoing speech and language challenges, including difficulty speaking, finding words, and slurred speech. “If your tumor is in one of the temporal or parietal areas that affect speech, you might […] May 26, 2023
Beloved Stuffed Animal Provides Comfort to Jacob and His Family Five-year-old Jacob M. clutched his beloved Mr. Puddles — a tuxedo cat stuffed animal that traveled everywhere Jacob went — as he walked back for radiation. Mr. Puddles provided comfort to the little boy during his many appointments after he was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). With Mr. Puddles beside him, Jacob never […] May 17, 2023
Advance Care Planning 101: Determining Your Health Care Proxy In a time of medical uncertainty, like being under anesthesia during surgery, who do you want to speak on your behalf? It’s an important question to consider as part of the advance care planning process. Last month, an NBTS blog post covered what advance care planning is and why advance directives are important. Determining your […] April 13, 2023
Guest Blog: Walking in Memory of My Father at Race for Hope DC It’s April 30, 2022, and I’m walking along my normal route while listening to a playlist of my Dad’s favorite rock music to help me feel closer to him. As I walked by Freedom Plaza, I was met with a large National Brain Tumor Society banner for an event the next day, and it stopped […] April 5, 2023
Advance Care Planning 101 for Patients with Brain Tumors In the middle of your craniotomy, your neurosurgeon is tasked with making a critical yet unexpected decision. They consult with your loved ones in the waiting room. Thankfully, you had designated a health care proxy before surgery, and they made an informed decision based on the advance directive you signed. You wake up relieved to […] March 29, 2023