Go Gray in May: Brain Tumor Awareness Month

May means that it’s time to think about Brain Tumor Awareness Month. The leaders of Brain Tumor Awareness Month and survivors of brain cancer urge those who wish to participate in this month to put a positive spin on finding ways to cope with this disease. This month is to spread information and awareness.

Thinking Hard About The Facts:

1. About 700,000 people in the United States have a primary brain tumor.
2. There are more than 120 types of brain tumors.
3. Approximately 69,000 people will be diagnosed this year.
4. 23,770 of those diagnosed are adults.
5. This means about 13,350 men and 10,420 women in the United States.
6. Brain tumors are the most common cancers among kids under the age of 19.
7. More than 4,600 children between the ages of 0-19 will be diagnosed with a brain tumor this year.
8. Brain tumors are the second leading cause of cancer-related death in children under 20.
9. This year, nearly 14,000 people will lose their battle with a brain tumor.

Brain tumor awareness month is meant to ease the pain of the diagnosis process and to demystify the experience for those recently told that they have a brain humor. First off, no one who is diagnosed with a brain tumor is alone, and they do not need to feel that way. There are endless resources out there for you to find the help and support team that you need to get through this.

It’s also important to know that if your physician finds a brain tumor, this is by no means a death sentence. This is an opportunity for you to decide how you want to live your life from here on out.

What Does It Mean To Have A Brain Tumor?

A primary brain tumor starts in the brain, verses a spinal cord tumor, which begins in the spinal cord.

Symptoms associated with brain tumors can be specific or general. Specific symptoms are caused when a particular section of the brain is not functioning as it should because it is affected by the well because the tumor. For many people who have been diagnosed with a brain tumor, they went to see a doctor because they experienced a very specific, odd type of headache or change in their motor system.

The more confusing diagnoses come from what is termed as the “general” symptoms of brain tumors. They can cause a whole slew of different nonspecific symptoms depending on the part of the brain affected, mostly caused by the pressure of the tumor on the brain. General symptoms include: morning headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light, nausea, weakness in the limbs, problems speaking or thinking clearly, personality changes, seizures, and excessive sleepiness.

It’s important to note that any of the symptoms listed about may be experienced by someone with a brain tumor, but that many people with brain tumors don’t actually experience any symptoms at all at the time of their diagnosis. Most of the time, these nonspecific or “general” symptoms are not actually due to a brain tumor.

Many other health problems can cause nausea, dizziness, and inability to concentrate. If you have any of these symptoms, it is important to get a diagnosis so that you can ease your mind about what your discomfort might be caused by.

Addressing The Gray Matter At Hand

There are theories about what may or may not prevent the development of a brain tumor, but at this time, no steps are medically established as a means of avoiding them. That’s why Brain Tumor Awareness Month is so important as a month of positivity and hope; since brain cancer cannot be prevented and no sure exists, this means that the diagnosis comes out of nowhere for the patient.

This is a month to raise awareness, share education and information, and take the first initial steps towards making the brain tumor diagnosis an experience removed from fear and instead given insight and guidance. Everyone’s experience with a brain tumor is difference. May is a chance to promote more funding for cancer research and to show support and guidance for friends and loved once fighting brain tumors.

Ways To Help

You can be involved in funding the care for children who are experiencing critical illnesses and illnesses. Share the opportunity for kids in your community who do not have to feel alone, and do not have to face the fear of the aftermath of their diagnosis. Wheels For Wishes is your chance to donate your car to help fund local charities and children’s hospitals.

You can access our chapter locator to help benefit kids in your community. You can fill out our online donation form or call  1-855-278-9474. Please help this May be a month of strength, compassion, and education, and donate your car to Wheels For Wishes. You could make all the difference to the kids fighting their own diagnoses in your community.