What is brain cancer?

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Brain cancer is cancer that is developed by cells within the brain. Brain tumors are what cause you to have headaches, a hard time seeing, not being able to feel your arms, and numbness. Many people do not know what a brain tumor is but this is a brief summary of what they do. For more information, here is an article that gives you more information on what they are and how they develop..

How do Brain Tumors relate to writing?

Brain tumors relate to writing in the way that once the tumor starts to get larger, your brain starts to get affected by it. There is only so much that your brain can handle. Once the tumor gets to a certain size, your brain starts to stop working the way that it used to work. Why? It stops working because the tumor gets in the way of letting the brain tell your body what to do or say. Therefore when you try to write it will not necessarily tell your body what to do. As well as when you try to speak. Your brain stops and it forgets what you are thinking also, it forgets what to say.

Quote of the day

"You all know I have terminal cancer. And I have a lot of it. But what you may not know is that stress induces its spread and induces its activity. Stress may even bring it on. Yet stress is the fuel of the activist ."
                                                                                                                          -TOM MCCALL

Here is a picture of a brain tumor as it continues to grow. Sometimes, not always do doctors notice when they is something wrong with your brain because sometimes tumors tend to hide. As you can see here in the first brain, the tumor hardly shows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5RM81_6vC8

This is a video that shows the removal of a brain tumor. It shows graphic pictures that may be gross to some of you, however, if you are interested in knowing how a brain tumor is being removed then watch this video.

The Story of Robert

This is a story about Robert and how he actually overcame the tumor itself. It was not an easy process but he managed to over come the fact that the brain tumor was affecting the way he lived.



http://neurosurgery.ucla.edu/robert-brain-tumor

My story:

"My husband, Bob, was diagnosed with a brain tumor on May 16, 2004.

Bob's tumor is located in his right occipital cortex, the area of the brain that controls vision. The diagnosis was made after he began having visual seizures (he would see a kaleidoscope of colors and lights in his right eye). Since he was born blind in his left eye, visual issues with his right eye are taken very seriously.

Bob started having MRI scans every 3 to 6 months to check for tumor growth. After every MRI we were told the same: "No Change." And we were elated!

This all changed on June 13, 2005. After his routine MRI in Florida, Bob's Neuro-Oncologist informed us that there had been tumor growth and it actually has been happening all along. We were shocked. Until that day, the radiologist routinely compared the newest MRI with the one taken months prior. Since the tumor grows so slowly (about .5 mm a month), no one noticed its change until the Neuro-Oncologist compared the scan from June, 2005 to the very first scan taken in July, 2004.

Because the tumor was growing, Bob decided to have it removed. We traveled to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for surgery with Dr. Linda Liau on September 12, 2005.

Bob has been under Dr. Liau's care for three years now. In May of 2008, he underwent a second surgery to remove tumor re-growth. After surgery, Bob's pathology report indicated that the center of his tumor had evolved to a more aggressive stage - a Grade III. Not the best news, but on the same token, it qualified him for the Brain Tumor vaccine trial at UCLA.

Bob and I are both still numb to the news. We are not sure how to take it. The good part is that he is now in the trial, but this also puts him only one step away from a Grade IV (what Kennedy has) which can be terminal and a median survival rate of 14.8 months. That is unnerving.

Bob has started the Brain Tumor Vaccine Trial. His first injection went well. He will have 2 more injections bi-weekly then he will receive booster shots every 3 months.

We have started to raise funds to expand brain tumor clinical trials to include low-grade brain tumors and pediatric patients. These clinical trials are showing great success; therefore, we are committed to expanding these trials.

Please join us as we strive for a cure: Miles for Hope

By Barb Gibbs"

Interested in learning more about a Brain Tumor?

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezhost.utrgv.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=bbe80cd4-ac6f-4822-a5c1-0fd5d286c8b3%40sessionmgr106&vid=3&hid=125

Here is an article that actually provides you with a lot of facts on why a brain tumor does not allow you to read nor write the same. Not only does it provide you information on brain tumors but it also explains to you how a brain tumor can affect the way you read and write. If you are interested in learning about a brain tumor, then this is the article to read.