Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 in Review

2013. You were better than 2012 but in your own way have thrown up many challenges and celebrations. You were a big year for education in our family as well.

There were frustrating and often painful times this year when my brain has let me know I have been pushing it. The first saw me cut chemistry and Pure maths out of my course. This last one is more permanent.


Friday, December 20, 2013

2 years 10 months

Yes, It is late.


As you know, I write these posts on the 16th of each month. December 16th is the anniversary of my mothers passing. I felt it important to spend that time with her.


I graduated with honours across the board! Graduation was pretty nifty. I will miss some of my teachers and class mates. I am waiting to find out if I made it into the courses I applied for. Next round of offers is January 16th, so I may or may not have news :) 







I saw the neuro ophthalmologist. He was in a rather large hurry to have a look and see what my brain was doing so I had an MRI the Friday of that week and a follow up appointment the following Tuesday. I am very pleased to say I have a clear brain scan. I have binocular diplopia (double vision in both eyes) they could put prism in the lenses of my glasses to help me to be able to see properly. I also have small cataracts and 'opaque lenses' and surprise surprise weakness in the muscle of my left eye..... seriously.

I have an appointment with my new neurologist January 22nd. Meanwhile Christmas is just around the corner and life is hectic. Dad has needed a lot more help this year. There have been a few family events which have made this month a lot better.

By the time I write my post in January I will have become 40. I had not expected to make it to forty and yet here I am. It is another mile stone and another badge of honour. I would not have made it to forty if not for my amazing brain surgery by the wonderful Charlie Teo. I continue to fund raise for the Cure for Life foundation in the hope that one day, brain tumours will not be death sentences.

If you'd like to help out you can donate here

My incredible husband has completed his Graduate Certificate in Information Systems. He has also received an award for academic excellence for a GPA of 6.75. All this while caring for our family and working full time! Very proud of him.

Check it out here!

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe and healthy Christmas and that 2014 brings you all you desire.

Monday, November 18, 2013

2 years 9 months


Still no time to breathe! This is my 101st blog post .... cos that is somehow significant.

James turned 17 at the beginning of November, He graduated from year 12 on November 15th, so he was 17 for a whole 11 days before graduating.






I have found a wonderful psychologist who has been helping me work through some stuff and I am feeling much better.

Everything is full steam ahead here. I have an exam tomorrow and another on Monday which 'should' be my last for the year. December 3 rd will be my graduation.

I have a couple of specialist appointments coming up as well. I ACTUALLY made appointments! I have one on December 3 rd... sound like a familiar date? That one is with the neuro ophthalmologist to see what is what and what could/can/may be repairable with my funny double vision. I can't wait to see the back of that! He is a bit excited and moved the appointment from January 14th to December 3rd which has me a wee bit bothered but it just means a faster result :)

Neuro anything means brain scans... all of them... ever. So today I put together a new scan bag to hold my 3kgs of brain scans. I also popped in to the local hospital to get a copy of the scans they did in A&E when I had my ambulance adventure last month.


Today I finalised the paperwork to go to QTAC for my application to do a Bachelor of Science at Griffith with a mid year start for 2014.

I'll make a whole new post when I have more time.


Wednesday, October 16, 2013

2 years 8 months

Where to start? Oldest to newest I think! I made a list of things to tell you about so I wouldn’t forget.
To begin this extra-long post, I had a bit of a rough time at the end of last term, so much so that I was seriously considering quitting the whole course. It wasn't a fear of failure thing; it was a problem with one of my teachers. Said teacher was completely unprofessional and was effecting not just me but a number of my classmates. I decided to talk to the teacher and allow an opportunity to have a conversation about the issues. It went fairly smoothly though I don’t know how much difference it has made. Oddly enough I do not have the marks back from that subject at this point.


Saturday, October 12, 2013

NOT a Bucket List

I don't like the "bucket list" I am not about to kick the bucket, I've been at that point already in my life and when asked what I wanted to do I said, people. It's not places or things, for me it is people.I want to see people.

So now that I have the whole rest of my life out there in front of me there are things I want to do, places I want to see and people I want to meet.



Thursday, October 10, 2013

The not sexy cancer.

It really bugs me that Brain tumours/cancer have so little public awareness, and research into them has so little funding. Every one knows about pink ribbons and breast cancer. Everywhere you look there is something pink ribboned or breast cancer awareness/fundraising. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the Pink Ribbon movement. Cancer council funding I also have no problem with, I have done both.

What drives me crazy is the fact that so many people have no clue about brain cancer. It isn't the "sexy" cancer. It receives very little publicity. There seem to be no celebrities advocating for it. Brain cancer kills more women on average than Breast Cancer and more children than any other cancer. So why the lack of awareness, funding and support?

This 258 high profile people who have had some form of brain tumour (malignant or benign) at some point in their lives. How many do you recognise?

"Badger" Bob Johnson
1931–1991
Ice hockey coach, won the 1991 Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL)
A. J. Croce
1971–
Singer-songwriter; son of singer-songwriter Jim Croce
Alan Berg
1934–1984
Liberal talk radio host in Denver, Colorado who broadcast his program on KOA. He was murdered in 1984; his story formed the basis of the Oliver Stone film Talk Radio.
Alan Clark
1928–1999
British Conservative politician, historian and diarist
Aleksandr Zinovyev
1922–2006
Logician, sociologist, writer of Russian literature and satirist
Alexandra Sestak
2002–
Daughter of Joe & Susan Clark Sestak
Alexis Smith
1921–1993
Canadian-born film, stage, musical theatre and television actress
Glioblastoma multiforme
Andrew Olle
1947–1995
Presenter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Angelo Bertelli
1921–1999
American football quarterback
Anne E. Jenns
1953–2000
Plant pathologist
Anya Taranda
1915–1970
Model, showgirl, actress and wife of songwriter Harold Arlen
15 months
Arlen Specter
1930–2012
U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania
Glioblastoma multiforme
20 months
Arrow (Alphonsus Cassell)
1949–2010
Montserrat soca singer-songwriter
1971–
Arthur "Weegee" Fellig
1899–1968
Photographer and photojournalist; works include stark black-and-white street photography
Meningioma
1997–2011
Arthur Kennedy
1914–1990
Stage and film actor; Tony Award winner
Metastatic tumor
Ash Lieb
1982
Artist, Comedian and Writer
Barbara Albright
1955–2006
Author of food and knitting books
Barney Kessel
1923–2004
Jazz guitarist who played with Charlie ParkerBillie HolidayBenny GoodmanElvis Presley, and The Beach Boys
3 years
Bebe Moore Campbell
1950–2006
Author whose books dealt with race and mental health issues
Ben Bowen
2002–2005
Huntington, West Virginia child who attracted media attention and fundraising efforts
2 years
Bert Convy
1933–1991
Stage, film and television actor/host
Bill Black
1926–1965
Rock and roll bass player; recorded with Elvis Presley during 1954–1958
Bill Haley
1925–1981
Leader of one of the first rock and roll bands, The Comets
Less than 18 months
Bill Williams
1915–1992
Movie actor who played Kit Carson in the 1950s TV series Adventures of Kit Carson
15 months
Bob Braham
1920–1974
One of the most highly decorated airman of the Royal Air Force in World War II
Bob Friend
1938–2008
Renowned British journalist and TV anchor with BBC and News Corporation.
Bob Marley
1945–1981
Reggae king
Bob O'Connor
1944–2006
Mayor of Pittsburgh
Bobby Bonds
1946–2003
Right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1981, primarily with the San Francisco Giants; father of Barry Bonds
Bobby Murcer
1946–2008
Major League Baseball player and broadcaster
Bobby Robson
1933–2009
A former association football player and England national football team manager
Bobby Van
1928–1980
Broadway musician and actor
Acoustic neuroma
2001–
Brian Glover
1934–1997
Actor, former professional wrestler and teacher
1995–
Brian MacLeod
1952–1992
Musician, songwriter and music producer; member of the bands Chilliwack and The Headpins
Buddy Rich
1917–1987
Jazz drummer and bandleader
1985–
Bueno de Mesquita
1918–2005
Comedian, actor and stage artist, known for his ability to make funny faces; suffered from lung cancer (probable metastasis)
Buster Merryfield
1920–1999
Actor who played Uncle Albert in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses
2 years
Carl Foreman
1914–1984
Screenwriter and film producer
Celia Cruz
1925–2003
Cuban salsa singer, Afro-Cuban music
Chaim Potok
1929–2002
Rabbi and author whose works included the 1967 novel The Chosen
Chakufwa Chihana
1939–2006
Trade unionist and politician
Charles Sheffield
1935–2002
Mathematician, physicist and science fiction writer
1 year
Charles Whitman
1941–1966
Ascended the University of Texas at Austin's 27-story tower in 1966, and shot passersby in the city and on the campus below before being shot dead by Austin Police. Tumor found on autopsy.
25 years
Chris O'Brien
1952–2009
Oncologist, surgeon, participant in Australian reality television programme RPA
Chuck Howard
1933–1996
Former producer at ABC Sports and winner of 11 Emmy Awards
Glioblastoma multiforme
8 months
Chuck Schuldiner
1967–2001
Former guitarist and singer for the band Death; former guitarist for Control Denied; influential figure in the development of death metal
Multiple meningioma
Clair Engle
1911–1964
United States senator from California. Late in his illness, he broke a filibuster and helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wheelchair-bound and no longer able to speak, he raised his hand to his eye to signal his vote ("aye").
20 months
Clare Boothe Luce
1903–1987
American politician and diplomat; an editor, playwright, social activist and journalist
Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie
1933–2006
English cricketer
8 years
Craig "Ironhead" Heyward
1966–2006
American football running back who played in the NFL
6 months
Craig Shergold
1979–
Former brain cancer patient who received more than 33 million greeting cards, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records. He recovered fully.
15 months
Dan Curtis
1928–2006
Emmy Award–winning director and producer of television and film
4 months
Dan Duva
1951–1996
Boxing promoter behind more than 100 world championship bouts
Dan Quisenberry
1953–1998
MLB pitcher, mostly as a closer; pitched with "submarine" style
Davey von Bohlen
1975–
Musician and songwriter
6 years
David Hermelin
1936–2000
United States Ambassador to Norway
Glioma with astrocytoma cells
June 2005–September 2011
David M. Bailey
1966–2010
Contemporary Christian songwriter and musician
Glioblastoma multiforme
1 week
David Shaw
1943–2005
Los Angeles Times journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1991
Astrocytoma
About 6 years
Dawn Steel
1946–1997
First female top executive of a major Hollywood studio
Less than 1 year
Deke Slayton
1924–1993
One of the seven Mercury Seven astronauts
1993–
Dennis E. Fitch
1942-2012
American commercial airline pilot. Known for his actions that helped to save the lives of 184 of the passengers on board United Airlines Flight 232.
Dia DiCristino
1980–
Opera and Jazz singer; starred in the movie The Year of The Cyst, which was about her eleven brain surgeries.
Glioblastoma multiforme
15 months
Dick Howser
1936–1987
MLB shortstop and manager
Dick Wantz
1940–1965
Relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels
Doris Tate
1924–1992
Activist in the victims' rights movement; mother of murder victim Sharon Tate
7 months
Duygu Asena
1946–2006
Author and activist for women's rights
Earl Strom
1927–1994
A basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and for three years in the American Basketball Association (ABA)
Meningioma
Édouard Brissaud
1852–1909
A physician and pathologist. his tumor was unsuccessfully operated on by Sir Victor Horsley.
Parasagittal meningioma
17 years
Eero Saarinen
1910–1961
Architect whose work included the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri
Eleanor Mondale
1960–2011
Cable television host on the E! network; daughter of former United States Vice President Walter Mondale
ATRT
1 year
Elizabeth Taylor
1932–2011
Academy Award–winning actor, star of numerous films
Emlyn Hughes
1947–2004
Association football player; European Cup winner of 1977; also known from the BBC television quiz show A Question of Sport
1 year
Enric Miralles
1955–2000
Architect whose works include the Scottish Parliament Building
2 years
Eric Liddell
1902–1945
Olympic gold medalist in track; portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire
Ethel Merman
1908–1984
Broadway singer and actress
18 months
Eugene Gordon Lee
1933–2005
Child actor who played Porky in the Our Gang (Little Rascals) comedies
Eva Hesse
1936–1970
Abstract sculptor
11 years
Ferdinand Preiss
1882–1943
Art deco sculptor who specialized in ivory and bronze
François Truffaut
1932–1984
Film director with over 25 films to his credit, including The 400 Blows
Frank Edward "Tug" McGraw
1944–2004
Major League Baseball pitcher; father of country music star Tim McGraw
Frank Patterson
1938–2000
Classically trained Irish tenor
malignant brain tumor
1 year
Frank Tejeda
1946–1997
United States House of Representatives from Texas
1989–
Frank Wills
1948–2000
Security guard who uncovered the break-in that led to the Watergate scandal
Metastatic tumor
Fred Conlon
1943–2005
Sculptor
At first deemed a non-malignant tumor, then determined to be malignant
Summer of 1959-January 1960
Frigyes Karinthy
1887–1938
Author, playwright, poet, journalist and translator
Fritz Von Erich
1929–1997
Wrestler and wrestling promoter of independent promotion World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW); patriarch of the Von Erich family
Gary Carter
1954–2012
Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher; Hall of Famer Played for Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants
Gene Siskel
1946–1999
Film critic for the Chicago Tribune; television partner of fellow critic Roger Ebert
George Gershwin
1898–1937
Jazz and classical music composer; co-writer of stage musicals and film scores
Metastatic tumor
Less than 1 year
George Harrison
1943–2001
Lead guitarist of the Beatles
Gerry Pencer
1945–1998
Chief executive officer of Cott Beverages. Pencer and his family became significant philanthropists of brain tumor research and medicine.
Gladys Marín
1941–2005
Political activist and former president of the Communist Party of Chile
Glioblastoma
July 1996 – October 2010
Glenn Roeder
1955–
English association football manager and former player
Greg Morris
1933–1996
African American television actor (Mission: Impossible series)
Meningioma
2000–
Gregg Burge
1957–1998
Tap dancer and choreographer
Glioblastoma
3 years
Heiko Herrlich
1971–
German association football player; Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League and Intercontinental Cup winner
Henry Kock
1952–2005
Horticulturist at the University of Guelph Arboretum
1975–
Henry Victor
1892–1945
Character actor (played "Hercules") in the 1932 film, Freaks
Hugh Cook
1956–2008
Author of fantasy series Chronicles of an Age of Darkness
2002–
Irene Ryan
c. 1902–1973
"Granny" from The Beverly Hillbillies. She was never told of her tumor, and died after suffering a stroke onstage while performing in Pippin on her Broadwaydebut.
1992–
Irish McCalla
1928–2002
Film and television actress, eponymous actor in the 1950s television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle
Ivan Noble
1967–2005
BBC journalist and science writer who published columns about his experience with the illness; author of Like a Hole in the Head
2002–
J. Allen Hynek
1910–1986
Astronomer, professor, and ufologist
Astrocytoma of unknown variety,
1 month
Jack Brickhouse
1916–1998
Sports broadcast announcer
1996–
Jaime Milans del Bosch
1915–1997
Lieutenant General in the Spanish Army who was dismissed in 1981 for his role in the failed coup d'état of 23 February 1981 (23-F)
2 years
James Batten
1936?–1995
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Knight-Ridder publishing.
Metastatic tumor
James Murphy
1967–
Heavy metal guitarist who played in several groups
Less than 2 years
James Weinstein
1926–2005
Socialist historian and journalist; founder and publisher of In These Times
Jean Crouch Thurmond
1926–1960
First wife of former Senator Strom Thurmond
40 years
Jean-Philippe Maitre
1949–2006
Politician and former President of the Swiss National Council
Less than 2 years
Jeff Winkless
1941–2006
Composer, television and voice actor
Jerry Paris
1925–1986
Actor and director; played Jerry Helper on The Dick Van Dyke Show
Less than 3 years
John Galsworthy
1867–1933
Nobel prize–winning novelist and playwright whose works include The Forsyte Saga
Metastatic tumor
John Hartson
1975–
Professional footballer
John Joseph O'Connor
1920–2000
Eleventh bishop (eighth archbishop) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Glioblastoma multiforme
10 months
John Loder
1946–2005
Sound engineer, record producer and founder of Southern Studios.
Glioblastoma multiforme
John Mack
1926–2006
Principal oboist with the Cleveland Orchestra
John Prentice
1926–2006
Former association football player; Scotland national football team manager
Pituitary macro-adenoma
2001–
John Vlissides
1961–2005
Software scientist specialising in object oriented technology, design patterns and software modelling
1994–
John Vukovich
1947–2007
MLB infielder and third base coach
5 months
John Willie
1902–1962
Fetish photographer and bondage artist
Johnnie Cochran
1937–2005
Defense attorney, best known for being a member of the "Dream Team", during the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial. Also defense attorney for the 1993 Michael Jackson child molestation case. Jackson settled the case with the accusing family.
Johnny Gunther
1929–1947
Teenage brain tumor patient, son of novelist John Gunther. His illness became the central theme of his father's book Death Be Not Proud.
Johnny Mercer
1909–1976
Songwriter and lyricist
Johnny Oates
1946–2004
MLB catcher and manager
Jon Bannenberg
1929–2002
Yacht designer.
Metastatic tumor
7 months
Joop den Uyl
1919–1987
Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1973 until 1977, as a member of the social democratic Labour Party (PvdA).
José María Buljubasich
1971–
Argentine association football goalkeeper
Pontine glioma
2 years
Joseph Maher
1933–1998
Irish-born stage actor, film and television character actor
1999–
Josh Gibson
1911–1947
Negro League baseball player; home run hitter with the highest career batting average in league history
Acorn-sized astrocytoma in thalamus
2 years, 5 months.
Judd Rose
1955–2000
Emmy Award–winning television news reporter, co-anchor of CNN Newsstand
2006–
Julia Somerville
1947–
Television news anchor and reporter who has worked for BBC News and ITN
Metastatic lung cancer
Junior Parker
1932–1971
Blues singer
Kai Winding
1922–1983
Trombonist and jazz composer
Kate Reid
1930–1993
Canadian actress of stage, film and television
Glioblastoma multiforme
1 year
Katherine Locke
1910–1995
Broadway actress in the late 1930s
5 months
Ken Brett
1948–2003
Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher; brother of Hall of Famer George Brett
1 month
Kevin Berry
1945–2006
Butterfly swimmer, Olympic gold medalist
Kevyn Aucoin
1962–2002
Make-up artist and photographer
1 year
Kim Perrot
1967–1999
Basketball player on the Houston Comets of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
1997–
Kinuyo Tanaka
1909–1977
Japanese film actress and director
Lance Armstrong
1971–
Cycling champion who won the Tour de France seven consecutive times after diagnosis and treatment for testicular cancer that spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain
1 year
Lee Atwater
1951–1991
Chairman of the United States Republican National Committee
Glioblastoma multiforme
15 months
Lennart Meri
1929–2006
President of Estonia
Leonard Wood
1860–1927
Physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and Governor General of the Philippines
Linda Gary
1944–1995
Voice artist for Scooby-Doo and other animated series
Lois Kibbee
1922–1993
Actress who played Geraldine Weldon Whitney Saxon on the television soap opera The Edge of Night
Glioblastoma multiforme
Lou Gramm
1950–
Rock music vocalist and songwriter, lead vocalist for Foreigner
50 days
Lou Rawls
1933–2006
Soul, jazz, and blues singer; philanthropist
7 months
Lou Stathis
1952–1997
Writer, editor and critic
7 years
Louis Prima
1910–1978
Entertainer, singer, actor, and trumpeter known as the "King of the Swingers". He never recovered from an operation to remove a benign brain-stem tumor, which left him in a coma for nearly three years.
1 year
Lucia Popp
1939–1993
Operatic soprano
Central nervous system(CNS) lymphoma
Luther Allison
1939–1997
Blues guitarist
Growth hormone–secreting pituitary adenoma with apoplexy
1847–1894
Lyle Alzado
1949–1992
National Football League (NFL) football player; made public statements attributing his tumor to anabolic steroids, a claim not supported by medical research.
Lynda Lee-Potter
1935–2004
Columnist for the British newspaper Daily Mail
1993–2012
Lynn Kohlman
1946–2008
Fashion model, photographer, and author
Glioblastoma multiforme
5 months
Margaret Brown
1867–1932
Socialite, philanthropist, and activist; survivor of the Titanic disaster; portrayed in the 1964 film The Unsinkable Molly Brown and the 1997 film Titanic
1 year
Marie Fredriksson
1958–
Lead singer of the Swedish pop duo Roxette
3 months
Mark Ruffalo
1967–
American film actor. The operation to remove the benign tumor caused him temporary partial paralysis.
Marshall McLuhan
1911–1980
Canadian Communications theorist and educator
Glioma
Less than 1 month
Martin Kemp
1961–
Actor and former pop musician who is in the band Spandau Ballet
Martin McGrady
1946–2006
American Track and Field athlete, world record holder in the indoor 600 yard dash for 26 years
Mary Hayward Weir
1915–1968
Steel heiress and socialite
Mary Shelley
1797–1851
Author of Frankenstein; wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley
Matt Cappotelli
1979–
Professional wrestler
Less than 1 year
Maurice Colclough
1953–2006
Rugby player, part of England's Grand Slam–winning team in the 1980 Five Nations Championship
Less than 1 year
Max Abraham
1875–1922
Physicist and contemporary of Einstein and Lorentz
Maxwell Scott Anderson
1956–2010
Psychologist, activist, documentary filmmaker and contemporary of Robert Eads
Glioblastoma multiforme
20 months
Mendes Ribeiro
1954-
Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply
Meredith MacRae
1944–2000
Television actress and host
glioblastoma multiforme
2 1⁄2 years
Michelle Stafford
1965–
Actress, played Phyllis Summers Abbott Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless
Mike Synar
1950–1996
U.S. Representative from Oklahoma
Mo Mowlam
1949–2005
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
CNS lymphoma
Nick Sanborn
1935–1999
Automobile racer
Metastatic tumor
1996–
Norman Levinson
1912–1975
Mathematician
Oligoastrocytoma
2008–2011
Otto Klemperer
1885–1973
Conductor; father of actor Werner Klemperer
Owen Merton
1887–1931
Post-Impressionist painter, primarily in watercolor landscapes and seascapes
Pat Kavanagh
1940–2008
British literary agent
Pat Paulsen
1927–1997
Comedian who featured in the Smothers Brothers television show in the 1960s
6 years
Patrick Cargill
1918–1996
British film and television actor who had been in ill-health since being treated for a brain tumor and died a year later. Initially, his death was blamed on a hit-and-run accident.
2006–
Paul B. Henry
1942–1993
Evangelical Christian, professor of political science, and politician
Astrocytoma
2 years
Paul Feyerabend
1924–1994
Philosopher of science
Astrocytoma
2006-
Pete Rozelle
1926–1996
NFL commissioner
Glioblastoma Multiforme
Peter Law
1948–2006
Welsh politician, independent Member of Parliament (MP) and AM.
Peter May
1929–1994
An English cricketer who played for Surrey, Cambridge University and England
Philip Iverson
1965–2006
Expressionist painter
Primary brain tumor
Pío Pico
1801–1894
Last Mexican governor of California; suffered from Acromegaly between at least 1847 to 1858, followed by selective pituitary tumor apoplexy with reversal of all tumor manifestations and survival to 1894
4 years
Pola Negri
1894–1987
Polish-American silent movie actress, played numerous femme fatale roles. Refused treatment; died of pneumonia.
Preston Robert Tisch
1926–2005
Businessman; former Postmaster General and half-owner of the New York Giants
Pituitary gland
2004–
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
1906–1968
Member of the British Royal Family
Metastatic tumor
2009–
Rainer Ptacek
1951–1997
Guitarist, singer and songwriter
Chordoma
8 years
Ray Bumatai
1952–2005
Musician, comedian and voice actor
Germinoma
2000–
Raymond Bonham Carter
1929–2004
Banker who became a director of S. G. Warburg & Co. and the father of actress Helena Bonham Carter. He became quadriplegic and partially blind after an operation to remove a non-cancerous brain tumor.
18 months (2005–2007)
Raymond Carver
1938–1988
Short-story writer and poet
1 year
Reginald Lewis
1942–1993
CEO of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc, the first African-American-run company to have over $1 billion in annual sales.
15 months
Reginald Lisowski
1926–2005
Professional wrestler; known as "The Crusher"
4 months
Renato Pagliari
1940–2009
Italian-born British singer famous for the 1982 Christmas number-one Save Your Love
2 months
Rene Rivkin
1944–2005
Stockbroker convicted for insider trading
Rhodes Fairbridge
1914–2006
Geologist and expert on climate change
10 years
Richard Burns
1971–2005
Race car driver, Rally world champion
Richard Chelimo
1972–2001
Track champion from Kenya; former 10,000 meter world record holder
Richard Greene
1918–1985
Actor who appeared in more than 40 movies and in the British television series The Adventures of Robin Hood
Less than 5 months
Richard Jordan
1938–1993
Actor of stage, screen and film
Richard Wild
1912–1978
Former Chief Justice of New Zealand (1966–1978)
Robert Evander McNair
1923–2007
Governor of South Carolina
Glioblastoma multiforme
9 months
Robert Forward
1932–2002
Physicist and science fiction writer
Glioblastoma multiforme
3 years
Robert Moog
1934–2005
Inventor of the modern music synthesizer
19 months
Robert Müller
1980–2009
Professional (Deutsche Eishockey Liga) ice hockey goaltender.
Glioblastoma multiforme
3 years
Robert Novak
1931–2009
Political pundit
Metastatic (lung cancer)
Robert Stone
1956–2005
A rugby league player and official who played for the St. George Dragons
Robert W. Funk
1926–2005
Academic theologian; author and founder of the Jesus Seminar
Astrocytoma
9 months
Ross Davidson
1949–2006
Actor who played Andy O'Brien in the BBC soap opera EastEnders
Ruben Kruger
1970–2010
South African rugby union player; member of the Springboks team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, portrayed in the film Invictus
2003–
Russell Watson
1966–
English tenor who has released popular albums of operatic-style songs
Sam Bottoms
1955–2008
Actor who played in the movies Apocalypse Now and The Last Picture Show
5 months
Sam Sneed
1968–
A record producer and rapper
Sandy Duncan
1946–
Tony Award–nominated Broadway actor, television actress
17 months
Sandy West
1959–2006
Musician, singer-songwriter and drummer
Scott Hamilton
1958–
Figure skater and Olympic gold medalist
Sergio Franchi
1926–1990
Italian-American tenor
18 months
Seve Ballesteros
1957–2011
Spanish golfer; winner of five major championships
1 month
Seyni Kountché
1931–1987
Nigerian military officer who led a 1974 coup d'état that deposed the government of Niger's first presidentHamani Diori; ruled the country as military head of state from 1974 to 1987
Pituitary gland tumor
Simon Jeffes
1949–1997
Guitarist, composer and arranger; member of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Glioblastoma
8 months
Slim Pickens
1919–1983
Rodeo clown turned film actor (Dr. Strangelove)
Stan Zemanek
1947–2007
Australian radio broadcaster and television personality; presented a night-time show on the radio station 2UE
Stephen Knight
1951–1985
Author who was known for his books criticising the Freemasons. He started having seizures in 1977 and in 1980, agreed to take part in a BBC documentary TV program Horizon on epilepsy. The producers arranged for a brain scan, which showed up a tumor. This was removed but returned in 1984 and despite further surgery he died in 1985.
Susan Bergman
1957–2006
Author of numerous books including the 1984 work Anonymity and unfinished novel Buried Life
Glioblastoma multiforme
2002–2008
Susan Hayward
1917–1975
Academy Award–winning film actress
Clear cell Meningioma
Tammi Terrell
1945–1970
Soul/R&B/Motown Singer, duettist with Marvin Gaye on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and other hit singles. Also toured with James Brown.
Ted Husing
1901–1962
Pioneer radio sportscaster
Ted Kennedy
1932–2009
United States Senator
11 days
Ted Mulry
1947–2001
Singer, songwriter and musician who formed the band Ted Mulry Gang (TMG).
Terence McKenna
1946–2000
Writer and counterculture figure
Terry Hoeppner
1947–2007
Indiana University, Miami (Ohio) University head football coach
2 years
Thomas Donaldson
1945–2006
Mathematician and cryonics advocate
Glioblastoma multiforme
3 years
Thomas W. Steed
1904–1973
Military officer in the United States Army Air Corps and United States Air Force. During World War II, he commanded the 456th Bomb Group (Heavy) throughout its combat service.
Thor Heyerdahl
1914–2002
Marine biologist who embarked on Kon-Tiki expedition and other journeys that reproduced ancient technology and demonstrated the feasibility of ancient sea migrations.
Metastatic tumor
Tim Gullikson
1951–1996
Champion doubles tennis player alongside his twin brother Tom; coach of Pete Sampras
Timothy Reuter
1947–2002
Historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany
6 to 9 months
Tom Cheek
1939–2005
Radio broadcaster who announced Major League Baseball games for the Toronto Blue Jays
4 months
Tony Anholt
1941–2002
Actor with various television credits, including Space: 1999The Protectors and Howards' Way
Trumbull Stickney
1874–1904
Swiss-born American poet
13 months
Veronica Geng
1941–1997
Writer, humorist and former editor of The New Yorker
right parietal-occipital glioblastoma multiforme
15 months
Victor Maddern
1926–1993
Supporting actor on film
Walter Johnson
1887–1946
Right-handed pitcher in MLB; one of the first five members of the Hall of Fame
5 weeks
Wayne Goss
1951–
Former Premier of Queensland, Australia
5 years
Wayne Maki
1944–1973
Vancouver Canucks player in the NHL
Wayne Osmond
1951–
Singer, second oldest of the performing Osmond brothers
Glioblastoma multiforme
Less than 1 year
Webster Young
1932–2003
Jazz trumpeter and cornetist.
Werner Stocker
1955–1993
Bavarian Film Award (Bayerischer Filmpreis) for Best Young Actors shared with Dana Vávrová for Herbstmilch; featured role in television's Highlander: The Series
Glioblastoma multiforme
2 1⁄2 years
William "Cat" Anderson
1916–1981
A jazz trumpeter who played with Duke Ellington's orchestra
2 years
William Bright
1928–2006
Linguist who specialized in Native American and South Asian languages and descriptive linguistics; father of Susie Bright
William Finn
1952–
Tony Award–winning Broadway songwriter; wrote the show A New Brain, which was about his experiences.
Less than 3 months
William J. Casey
1913–1987
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
3 months
William S. Donaldson
1945–2001
United States Naval Aviator; founder of the Associated Retired Aviation Professionals (ARAP); a critic of the U.S. government's TWA flight 800 investigation
46 days
William Vaughn Moody
1869–1910
Dramatist and poet
10 months
Wilma Rudolph
1940–1994
Olympic gold medalist in track
Zachary Scott
1914–1965
American film actor; specialized in villains (Mildred Pierce)

How is it that there is no celebrity face for Brain Tumours? There are many patients, survivors, supporters, families and friends, everyday people, fighting for awareness and a cure. Can anyone give us a hand?