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 Parker, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Elvis 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 president, Hamani 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: 1999, The 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?

Things I have only just realised 2 years and 7 months after brain surgery

Two years 7 months has passed since I had that hole drilled in my skull, poked into my brain to the middle, tumour removed, big bleed and survived the whole thing and was discharged within 24 hours. That’s kind of a big deal.

Again, I’d like to thank all of you who have taken the time to wipe my tears, and listen to my rants over the last few weeks. Especially HUGE thank you to my wonderful husband +Kim Robertson  for helping me through it especially coming and backing me up yesterday.

I have realised over the last few weeks that brain surgery and brain tumours are a big deal. Well I already knew that part. I have realised that the big deal also applies to me. I had a tumour trying its best to knock me off and brain surgery which saved my life. I know you are probably reading this and thinking “how can you not have figured that out?” Fact is it hadn’t really sunk in properly until now.

So what was it that kicked off this spark of understanding? I had a bit of a “wobbly” at school. It scared me half to death and I didn’t know what to do. Should I sit there and hope it would stop/go away? Should I leave early and catch the bus home? What if something happened on the bus? Should I catch a taxi home? What if something happened while I was at home on my own? What if it was a really bad something? Is it fair for Mr 16 to come home to something awful? Should I ask one of my teachers to call an ambulance? What if it was just a random nothing?

Where did all this come from? For eight years I suffered such extreme pain that I was taken to the hospital vomiting and barely comprehensible. The ER staff would treat me like I was either faking it or seeking drugs. After a while I just stopped going, when you get blown off with “take some paracetamol and go home” it really doesn’t inspire you to go back no matter how healthy, or more to the point unhealthy, you feel.

So I have avoided hospitals and ambulance trips like the plague even since surgery. After repeated conversations with certain family members and a friend who is an ER nurse, I FINALLY got it. Brain surgery/tumours are a really big deal. If there is something going on with your head you can’t afford to mess about with it, it may just kill you. If there is ANY brain weirdness… call an ambulance, do not pass go, do not collect $200. They WILL treat you seriously, VERY seriously. If it turns out to be nothing YAY and they won’t mind at all. If it turns out to be a something, chances are that you got it early enough to do something about it. I now understand. I have promised to go to the hospital if I need to!

Part of the funk I have been in is that I have not had my camera with me and been taking photos daily for the last eight months. It’s like suffocating really. I have lost inspiration and am slowly getting it back. Yesterday I discovered that my favourite lens has died. It has had a good 3+ years of solid daily use so I guess it has put in a good lot of work. I was however quite disappointing.

I have had to face up to and accept that I do have an acquired brain injury. I do occasionally need help and it is ok to ask for it. I did that earlier this term at school when my vision failed. I saw the disability officer and we found a solution to work around the problem. I now have my fabulous new glasses and a few other bits so I can see now. The vision failing is part of the brain injury. The path the surgery took through my brain has damaged the part that switches off the signal from the eye with the damage. Consequently they fight for focus constantly.

I have had a doubt of depression through this. I had a meltdown one afternoon after a lot of tiny things had gone wrong (ABI again) I cried my heart out all afternoon and watched myself spiral really quickly down into that pit of despair. I have found some things at school this term challenging. One thing was lack of feedback. If I have done something incorrectly I need feedback so I can do it correctly next time. I have also had a difficult teacher. This all reached a head last week and I was going to go and quit my last term. I felt like I had no right to be there and that I was just reaching too high.

Pity party over. I am going to continue to do what I need to in order to get where I want to be doing what I want to do. It may take longer than I had planned, I may need to rearrange things so that I have some more time for my brain to have time out, but I’ll give it my best shot. At the end of the day, if I don’t get there, I know that I have given it my best and will have other options open to me.

Last month we headed to Sydney for the Colo(u)r Run which was raising funds for the Cure for Life Foundation. This month, this weekend in fact, I am flying to Melbourne for the week. While I am there, my beautiful friend +Charles Strebor  will be having his beard dyed purple as he reached his $1000 goal fund raising for Cure for Life. I am looking forward to spending time with +Al Christensen  and meeting the amazing Melbourne Gplusers. I will definitely get my inspiration back hanging out with them. In fact, I have my own Melbourne photowalk! I’m feeling mighty special J

I hope you are all well and Happy
Julia

P.S. Things get better; sometimes it is just a perspective issue.

Two and a half years!

So, two and a half years. Who saw that coming? I’m not quite sure why this month, this two and a half year marker has felt so significant to me but it does and I’m just going to roll with that.

Firstly I’d like to thank all of you who have taken the time to understand, help, cajole sympathies, empathise, kick my butt, wipe my tears, and listen to my rants and all the other things that have happened in the last two and a half years. Especially HUGE thank you to my wonderful husband for everything, and I mean everything he has endured. Life with a seriously ill person is not an easy one. It can be demoralising, depressing, heartbreaking and hard.

It is now 2 and half years since surgery to fix my brain and start my new life. Right at the beginning of this new life I posted –
‘IF...
I tell you the same thing more than once,
I forget who you are between games and life
I forget your Birthday, anniversary, wedding, other significant day
I forget to call you back, email you, and do something I said I would do or just do it later than I said I would do something that upsets you
 Please let me know, and please try to remember that I have had brain surgery. My memory is a bit all over the place. I forget things, if/when I remember things later I then try to make up for what I have forgotten, some things I just don’t remember at all. It isn’t an excuse; it's just the way things are. I am hoping that things will continue to improve and with it my memory. Kim tells me it was worse before and that I am just become more aware of the holes now. It is very frustrating.
 I hope you will understand’

Things have improved dramatically since then. I forget less. There are still things I don’t remember but that is okay. Everyone forgets things, people, and events. It is normal. Not just normal for brain surgery patients or people with acquired brain injury but for every single person. I have learned a lot of things and come to relax a lot more about things that used to really upset me.

I no longer get worked up about
• Not remembering people
• Forgetting dates
• Forgetting how to do things
• Not scoring the highest possible marks
• Things not going to plan (Okay I’m still working on that one in some instances)
• Health. I can be fixed or it can’t. It is really that simple
• Feeling bad

I have in the last few weeks experienced a few things that rocked my little world and my self-confidence. It is in part that I had forgotten that I had made an agreement with myself and understood that things may not always work out the way I expect or hope they will. Things will happen in whatever way they do.  It may sound silly but the first was wrapped up in study and more importantly pure maths. I need the subject to get into a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. I could get into a Bachelor of Science without it but would have to do it anyway to switch sideways to the Biomed. That shattered my world a bit. I was studying pure maths at the beginning of the year. It was challenging but I was enjoying it and doing ok. I had a bout of brain melt down and had to drop the subject because I was too far behind when I could get back to classes. Finding out that I would had to do it either way frightened me half to death because all I could think of was how ‘hard’ it had been at the beginning of the year. Added to that is that instead of 12 months to cover the 3 units (it used to be 18 months) in 2014 pure maths will be compressed into 6 months with the same content as the original course. I know that I cannot at this point in my life keep up with the subject at that pace.

This little world rocker was followed (minutes later) by a rather confusing email from one of my teachers telling me that I had scored honours for the pieces of assessment I had submitted but the conclusion needed to be rewritten as it was not correct. Colour me confused. I have messed up the conclusion but have score honours? I was utterly uninspired to begin my essay based on that piece of assessment. I then received another email from another teacher telling me another piece of assessment had scored 0 with a maximum score of 0 a minimum score of 0 and an average score of 0 followed up with ‘good work Julia’ I am really getting confused now! I have since received another email from a teacher who isn’t one of mine telling me that part two of the maths assignment is up on the website. I was not aware of any assignment. Exam, yes. Assignment, no. The beginning of this episode of educational confusion threw me into a depression which, while it only lasted a few days, was pretty awful.

I stopped looking at science degrees and started looking at degrees in heath and psychology. I looked at studying a diploma of business, business admin or accounting. I looked through the job pages at office work. I smacked myself around the head a bit (metaphorically) and realised that none of these things are going to get me where I ultimately want to be and that I had made a deal with myself to give it everything I had. Giving in over one little hiccup was not part of the deal. I have decided not to apply to go to University this year. I have sourced a way to study pure maths over the next 12 to 18 months without the added stress of trying to keep up with other subjects. I will, depending on my ability to pass pure maths, apply for University in 2015. If it works out it does, if it doesn’t. It has been suggested that I could do something along the line of neuro-psych or counselling for people with brain tumours or who have had brain surgery.

Another part of my depression was being diagnosed with a tiny cataract which is causing me all kinds of problems with my vision. My brain will not shut off the bad signals from my less functional eye. Consequently my eyes battle for supremacy and focus constantly. By around midday my brain is so exhausted by the battle that it gives up and my sight gets pretty awful. I went to the disability officer and talked to her about it and have come home with a nifty device which will make exams, reading and things much easier on me and give my eyes a bit of help.  I registered with disability services last year when I did my dual cert in Business and Business admin and didn’t need to use their services at all. I was quite proud of myself that I didn’t need to ask for extra time or extra help. I had done it all on my own and managed to finish early. This year has been a different story. I have had to ask for help when my brain had its melt down. Now I have had to go and ask for some real physical hands on help. The thing that shattered me was that I haven’t and still don’t see myself as disabled or needing assistance. This one kind of brought it home to me that may be I do and will continue to need help.  There is no shame in asking for help.

The second part of this is a bit of a revelation to some of you and for others not so much. I am writing my story. I have decided not to start with the beginning of my brain tumour experience. I am writing about the aftermath, the recovery and the things that can be accomplished that you don’t even know you can. There is a small part at the beginning explaining briefly where the story started. For those of you who have already been bombarded with multiple and unfinished versions, I have reworked it a bit more and will try and get it in to better shape before torturing you further.

This month (August) has been and continues to be quite busy. My brother and I participated in the Brisbane Marathon Running Festival in our wonderful new purple Cure for Life running shirts and our matching hyper tubes. We followed that up the same day with a trip to GreazeFest. I was pretty shattered by the time I got home. I was very lucky and honoured to help celebrate an old school friend’s birthday. I was lucky enough to meet up with a few old school mates there as well. It was just what the doctor ordered to pull me out of the misery I was in. This month sees my beautiful husband and I celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary. We will be spending part of that weekend in Sydney for the Cure for Life Colour Run in Centennial Park. I have been thinking about contacting the head Cure for life office about a position they mentioned at their meeting in Brisbane earlier in the year.

Next month sees me head off to Melbourne to see +Charles Strebor have his beard dyed purple. He raised his goal amount of $1000 for Cure for Life as a part of our international team and we’ll be celebrating with good food, good friends, much purple, photography and joy.

I am feeling more myself all the time, more confident in who I am, what I am and where I fit in the world. I am loving life, learning to roll with the punches more than I was before. I am filled now with a sense of awe at all the possibilities that life can bring. I love my family and friends to death, old and new. There is a big bright world out there and I have a place in it. Life is good!

As I recently read – An optimist is someone who figures that a step backward after a step forward is not the end of the world, it is more like a cha-cha

I hope you are all happy and well

In sight

For the last month and a half I have been having trouble with my vision. Blurred, double vision, vision loss. My optometrist, quite rightly, was very concerned and sent me off to see and ophthalmologist to find out what was going on. after a lot of testing and I mean A LOT, they have come to the conclusion that; I have dry eyes so need to use drops frequently, have a cataract in my left eye (as seen above) and that my brain get tired more easily because I had brain surgery. Cataract surgery may help but I can hang out for another 20 or so years for that thanks. I'm too young to have one of these buggers anyway!

Due to the location of the surgery, my brain has trouble suppressing the trouble with my left eye vision. Consequently my brain has my left and right eyes battling for supremacy. I can get through about half the day without too much of a problem with my vision, however by midday all bets are off and my vision goes to pot.

Wednesday I'll be going in to make an appointment with the disability officer to see what they can do to help me with my maths testing. I currently have a great deal of difficulty distinguishing = from - and + from division.I also tend to miss columns of figures on the right side of the page. So, they may give me some kind of magnifying glass or extra time or something to help me get over this hurdle.

While this is irritating, nauseating and painful, it is not going to kill me which is FANTASTIC news. It may slow me down a bit for a while until I find a way to work round it. I am not giving up on pursuing my dreams though. Life does not stop because of a bump in the road.

I may have to modify my photography methods as well. Not going to stop me. Photography is like breathing and I'm not about to give it up. I may have to rely on Auto-focus a lot more though.

Alternately, if I had not had the surgery I would be dead. When you look at it that way, I can cope with pretty much anything.

I hope you are all happy, safe and well!

2 Years 4 months

There are a lot of things that have happened since my 2 year 4 month update.

First of all I did get Honours for Biology and General Applied science! Just a little chuffed with myself about that. I am back at school for semester 2 my last three classes before I finish the course. The end of this stage is in sight. I am getting quite quietly excited about it. I went and spoke with my old Pure maths/Chemistry teacher this week about coming back to do pure maths next year. Her suggestion is to speak to the people at the University about my options. I may be able to get into another science based course with the subjects I have (especially scoring honours) and can then step sideways and may be get credit for the subjects I do in 1st year, or do Pure maths in 2nd year if I really have to have it. It is a massive relief to me. I really enjoyed the Pure maths but it was moving so quickly that when I had 2 weeks off I dropped so far behind I could not catch up and keep up.

The first of these conversations with the uni people will be this month, the next two will be in August. I figure the more people I talk to the more options I may have and any one or combination of the people I talk to may have the plan that fits best.

I reached the first of my fundraising goals and had my head shaved last weekend. This weekend my wonderful husband very carefully shaved my head with a razor (or few razors) and was very considerate of the funky nerves in my scalp that make the pressure of the razor feel like someone pushing really hard on a massive bruise. Our lovely friend came and painted the CFLF Cranes on it and did a spectacular job. Kim took some great photos of the process too. I feel very lucky to have such amazing people in my life.

Next month is MASSIVE. We will be celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary (Better start planning that big 20th). My littlest brother and I will be doing the Brisbane running festival 5k together in our beautiful Cure for life shirts and hypertubes. Kim and I will be going to Sydney for the Sydney Color Run supporting the Cure for Life foundation.

The fundraising continues! Next goal is $2000 and I'll be making an additional 1000 paper cranes. If I get to $3000 I will keep my head shaved for 6 months! I'm going to put a link in for you to go and see the photos from hair to bald and painted. I'm also going to put in a link if you would like to help find a cure for brain cancer and in the process see me do insane things.

I'm sure I'll have more to say later (in another post) but for now, I hope you are all happy healthy and enjoying life!

Photos of the shave and paint process
Watch me do more insane things in the name of finding a cure for brain cancer

70 things I discovered from having a brain tumour .......The Julia Robertson Version

1. Trying to diagnose yourself over the Internet is a terrible idea. It can grossly distort things and it seem like your life is over. The first thing I read on the Internet about my tumour was “can cause sudden death” 

2. Rather than asking Google all those questions rolling around in your tumour-ridden head, Write them down and direct them to your doctor. Every. Single. One. If you don’t write them down, trust me, you will forget them the second you enter the exam room, and will conveniently remember them again well after you’ve gotten home. Not a well spent few hundred dollars and extended appointment wait time.

3. Feel free to run around the house doing your best Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation, saying “It is a tumour.” My other favourite since I have been home is “I needed that like a hole in the head… oh wait…”

4. Note that the tumour is not the sole reason behind your tendency to enter a room and forget why you went in there in the first place. If that were the case, everyone on the planet would have a brain tumour. 

5. However, the tumour may be the reason behind your headaches, nausea, inability to see straight and amazing ability to become suddenly unconscious (without help)

6. It’s okay to be scared out of your mind.

7. If you are claustrophobic, getting an MRI may cause you to freak out. If they offer a sedative DO accept it. If they don’t offer it ask for it!

8. You will have to remove all metal on your body. I replaced mine with nylon belly bars! That way you don’t have to remember where they came from because you don’t have to take them out!

9. If your pants have metal on them, you will be given one of those terribly attractive backless gowns. You can leave your knickers on but under wire bras are not a happening thing. Be prepared. Track pants, sports tops and your favourite comfy shirt are the best options

10. If everything goes wrong you CAN get out of the MRI machine……… even if it doesn’t feel like it.

11. MRIs are insanely loud. Being at a death metal concert in front of the speaker is kind of like a mouse squeak in comparison

12. Try not to freak out when they lock that cage down over your head 

13. When they tell you that you can look in the mirror built in to the cage of doom. DO NOT USE IT! It has a fantastic distortion effect that makes your feet look like they are 7 kms away and it will takes days to get out of that tube!

14. Compared to an MRI, a CT scan is like a walk in the park. A very short walk. 

15. Tumors are like meth-cooking tenants in a cheap apartment complex. Even after you give them notice of eviction, they can be hard to get rid of. And they often trash the place before leaving.

16. I didn’t name my brain tumour because I didn’t want it to feel like it belonged there (they are sentient you know) However for some people naming your tumour is a great way to show that you are dealing with the situation in a light-hearted manner, like calling it ‘Ima’ – Ima brain tumour (Thank you Stacey)

17. You may be tempted to try and figure out why you presently have a brain tumour. This is a waste of time. Brain Tumors can be the result of a myriad of things, so it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint one cause. Unless, say, you spent your childhood sticking your head inside the microwave and turning it on. Because that’s probably why you have a brain tumour.

18. There is no shame in eating an entire dish of brownies or half a dozen cupcakes in the span of six hours. If anyone questions your behaviour, explain that you are eating for two. It will however take years to get rid of all those cupcakes later.

19. Shaving your head pre op is a completely rational thing to do and can make you feel that you have some semblance of control over it all

20. The upside of this experience is that you now have a great excuse for forgetting people. Behold:“I’m sure I am supposed to know who you are but I don’t. Please don’t take it personally I had brain surgery and lost my memory. It’s nice to meet you….. Possibly again?”

21. When you look back at your life til this point, and you will, there are some things you did that you wish you hadn’t. 99% of them just don’t matter 

22. Yelling, crying and being angry at those close to you is a completely normal and shitty consequence of being scared.

23. The world will continue as normal around you and it will feel WRONG. Feel free to stamp your feet and cry

24. Screaming at the TV, any inanimate object or Internet is perfectly acceptable, too.

25. Sometimes the most insane things will take your moment of serenity and turn you into a soul raveging hell beast. Usually it will be someone being negative or just plain stupid.

26. My tumour went into a tumour bank where I fantasize they torture it with cruel and unusual instruments.

27. When you wake up it is kind of funny to ask what the license plate of that truck was

28. Find a brilliant neurosurgeon. You are literally putting your life in their hands. If you don’t trust them find another one.

29. When you tell friends about your new friend they may react in strange ways. Some may head for the hills never to be seen again. Some may be devastated and have a far worse reaction that you did, and let’s face it, it’s YOUR brain.

30. You may notice that people may start acting weirdly around you. Now is a good time to remind them that brain tumours are NOT contagious.

31. Understand that your medical condition provides a rare opportunity to serve as a life-lesson for others. Mostly that they don't what what you have.

32. The look on your loved ones’ faces after you tell them about your tumour will remain etched in your mind and heart until probably the day you die. Considering that, it is probably best to tell your parents what’s going on over the phone. Do not lead with “I have a brain tumour.” That sort of tends to freak people out

33. If you have someone who is completely self-absorbed they may respond to your news with things like.

“I have an exam due in two weeks”

“I need to borrow your laptop til the weekend is that ok?”

Do not worry. You did in fact tell them, it has just completely failed to make any impact on their mind at this time. Later they may ask you about the conversation but it will probably still be about the lap top.

34. You’ll be amazed by how many people you know who know or have known other people with other kinds of tumours. There is a bit of a difference between a 1 kg stomach tumour and an 8mm brain tumour. It is all about location location location! Stomachs stretch, grow and generally try to accommodate this new found growth. Brains have no spare room. 

35. You have thought your husband was ever so slightly insane. Your suspicions are confirmed when you come home to find him curled up on the lounge clutching his freshly torn calf muscle. This was of course sustained while bouncing around the lounge room pretending to be Tigger!  I love you Hunny

36. Looking at your children will make you cry…. It will also make you laugh, and cry and yell and cry some more. You have just reverted to being a two year old emotionally and that is normal.

37. It is normal to spend the night before your surgery having your husband taking photos of your head and hair from different angles…… 

38. Shoes… make sure before you go in for surgery that you have some that you can get on without looking down or in any way inclining your head.

39. Pjs are your friends. 

40. Before surgery, make lists of the things that need doing and important things like passwords. You will not remember them. Give the ‘to do’ lists to anyone who (mistakenly) offers to help.

41. You will sleep. Most hours of the day you will be asleep. Accept it and go with it.

42. If you have rehab to do, do it. Your brain and your body will thank you for it.

43. Reheat-able meals are the best thing you can send anyone recovering from anything. 

44. Stay hydrated. The day of surgery will be a dry one and there is nothing quite like your anaesthetist telling you he is just going to knock you out now because putting your arterial lines in while you are awake will be far too traumatic because your veins are so floppy and flat. No really!

45. Do not freak out when they tell you they will be putting you on a respirator for the surgery. It doesn’t mean you will be on it forever

46. If they don’t give you a shiny metal plate (and they really are pretty) you will have a spot/s on your skull with no skull in it. Do not knock or bump them, they hurt. You may find that if you turn your head in the right direction that bit of scalp will act like a drum skin in the presence of some seriously big bass

47. Drink lots of water and pee a lot. It makes the doctors happy, as does pooing and walking. If you can do those three and know who you are they will let you go home (usually)

48. They do not wash your hair after surgery and you won’t be allowed to for at least ten days after surgery. Blood and CSF caked in your hair IS disgusting. Dry shampoo does NOT work. 

49. If you are going to attempt the hair wash have someone else do it for you over a sink salon style and do not get your incision wet!

50. Brain surgery is the ultimate in bad hair days. You will have bits that don’t match up or even point in the same direction anymore. Get it cut and try a new style or just shave it and start again (well after your staples or stitches are out and have healed nicely) 

51. The total bill for my surgery was around $60,000. We paid about $30,000 out of pocket. Health insurance is the difference between having a neurosurgeon you have chosen and are comfortable with and having whoever is on the list. You will possibly see a completely different one each time you go in for follow up.

52. Walking across the room will be a huge achievement unto itself.

53. Holding a coherent conversation for more than a minute is also monumental..

54. Your husband (or wife) will be the one showering, dressing, fussing with and generally doing all those things for you that you used to do for yourself and probably have been since you were 5 years old.

55. Vomiting is not a good thing at the best of times it is indescribably evil now.

56. Depending on your surgery, it will take a while before you can manage to function or even feel like a human. Daytime TV is still that bad but you won’t care.

57. Going out in public with your stitches or staples proudly displayed will probably receive a variety or responses from “Wow that is AWESOME” to little old ladies looking at your husband accusingly.

58. Having your stitches doesn’t hurt, unless they stick in which case the hurt like a ^&^.

59. Take your medication. Don’t take your pain killers if you don’t have pain, they just make you more spacey.

60. Everyone else will be more worried than you are..

61. You probably won’t remember much of this as your brain is literally in shock and not really recording much other than WTF have you done to me!!!

62. You will repeat yourself. This will vary from hilariously funny to frustrating to those around you.

63. Insane things will pop into your head that you thought your surgeon said that can’t possibly be true “Just tell the airline you bumped your head and you’ll be fine”

64. You will not be in control of your life for some time. Get over it and go with the flow. Fighting it just wears you out.

65. Finding permanent (or not so permanent) marker on your face/ scalp is not actually your family playing games with your head. They used it to line you up properly. 

66. That dent in your forehead that you don’t recognise IS new. It is from the ‘halo’ they used to stop your head from rolling round while they drilled in to it. It will go away.

67. If you feel the need to journal your experience, for the love of god get someone else to do it for you. When you finally get around to even thinking about doing anything with it, it will look like Swahili.

68. Do not over do it. You body and your brain will hurt you if you do. They love you but will not watch you damage yourself…. Unless it is stupidly funny.

69. Go easy on yourself. I got smart and decided that since I wasn’t allowed to bend over, I would sit on the floor to vacuum under the bed. I smacked my brain hole on the corner of the bedside table and sat for 20 minutes trying desperately not to move or throw up. Who needs to vacuum under the bed anyway!?!??!

70. If it needs doing, let someone else do it and enjoy your new-found royalty status.

Some of these borrowed from http://www.everywhereist.com/70-things-i-learned-from-having-a-brain-tumor/

Perseverance

The G+ 2 year anniversary walk went well in spite of the weather. We had fewer people than would have been there if it had been a sunny day, however we had more people than we expected for such gloomy damp weather! Thank you to all of you who came! Who knew it could take 6 hours to walk 3 kms.

I have persevered with the knitting and managed to produce 2 beanies so far! Jolly good thing too because I hit my first goal and had my head shaved on Saturday! If things don't work out the first time you try them, stick at it, you'll get there :) 

Today was my first day back at school. It was fantastic! General Maths is not quite as exciting as pure maths but I like it all the same and I have a pretty nifty teacher so, win/win.

A few days ago there was a report on A Current Affair about Charlie Teo and his crusade to cure brain cancer/tumours. This is one from May which contains some very important information which I keep trying to explain to people. Benign brain tumours are not “safe” they can cause significant health problems, damage to the brain and in some cases death. Obviously brain cancer is nastier, benign tumours should not be dismissed though.

The drive to raise funds for Cure for life continues as ever and things are starting to pick up. If you would like to help to find a cure for brain tumours/cancer please consider donating to one (or more) of our international team. Linky

To follow up from the last post –I went to the Doctor who told me the optometrist was not overreacting. I went back to the optometrist who then tried to make an appointment with the preferred neuro ophthalmologist who can’t get me in to the end of October, so am booked in to see second choice ophthalmologist at the end of this month. Meanwhile blurry/double vision continues. To a certain extent my brain is trying to compensate but tends to conk out around midday or early afternoon and has a hurt.

I am really quite enjoying this new experience of having a shaved head. I don’t feel like I have lost my identity and I am finding it pretty fantastic to be completely honest.

I hope you are all well, happy and pursuing your dreams.