Almost 40 years ago, patients, like Kelly Northey, who were diagnosed with a brain tumour had to struggle alone. To help others like Kelly, her parents founded Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada (BTFC) to advocate for change.
Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is the only national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to offer hope and support to Canadians affected by both malignant and non-malignant brain tumours. They are a team of dedicated staff, volunteers, and healthcare professionals that support thousands of Canadians along their brain tumour journeys.
Every day, 27 Canadians are diagnosed with a brain tumour. Unfortunately, like with any illness, not just the patient, but their families, are impacted. Brain tumours are unpredictable and the effects can last a lifetime.
Despite the severity of brain tumours, I’m glad to know that there’s a foundation like BTFC leading in the fight to #EndBrainTumours. I stumbled across BTFC when I was researching for my novel ‘Hold on please, Emily.’ The challenge of researching medical topics online is that it’s difficult to determine what is valid. Also, I did not want to write a book that gave false hope. Because of the severity of the topic, it would be inappropriate to create a story that glossed over the realities of the illness or ended as a fairytale with a happily ever after. Unfortunately, a glioblastoma (GBM) diagnosis, one of the deadliest brain tumours, should not be taken lightly. There has been survivorship stories, but even those had its challenges, and I wanted to ensure that my book really captured those ups and downs.
I reached out to BTFC back in 2019 to get some information about GBM, the symptoms, its treatment options, and even statistics. Also, I connected with a few GBM patients and medical staff to understand procedures at the hospital for chemotherapy and radiation. I am so grateful for BTFC’s support in providing background information on GBM that aided in the writing stages of my novel.
To read more about BTFC, sign up for my newsletter here to read the May edition of ‘Hold On‘ today.