Latest news with #braincancer
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was given six months to live after my brain tumor was found...it's a 'miracle' I'm alive a decade later
Los Angeles-based filmmaker Grace Wethor was 13 when she learned of the massive tumor pressing on her brain. She was given six months to live. But a decade later she is living a full and vibrant life - defying the odds in what doctors call a 'miracle' case. In 2015, she began experiencing headaches and seizures, prompting her to go to the hospital. Doctors found a tumor in her brainstem, called a glioma, a typically fatal cancer with minimal treatment options that are often unsuccessful. Doctors said she had about six months to live until the cancer, which has a survival rate of about eight percent, killed her. Wethor said: 'Because my tumor is so difficult to treat, I was able to leave the hospital and spend my "last six months" doing what I love. 'During those first six months, when I thought they might be my last, I made it a mission to do something creative every single day.' She painted, taught herself how to play guitar, and made fashion a form of self-expression. She visited museums with her mother, which she said 'was crucial to keeping my mind off my diagnosis and current health circumstances.' While she never received treatment, her symptoms – headaches, fatigue, and seizures – became manageable with a healthy balance of mindfulness and physical health. 'It's not always perfect, but I've found ways to work with my body rather than against it,' she said. 'Most days, I'm able to live a full and relatively normal life…I don't assume I have time.' Now, an advocate for cancer research, Wethor undergoes MRI scans, fearing all the time that the cancer has grown. But she hasn't let that fear take over her life. A glioma of the brain stem is a tumor that develops in the area connecting the brain to the spinal cord and can come in different varieties based on the specific type of glial cell. The brainstem is crucial in controlling vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, swallowing, and movement. Damage to it can lead to a wide range of devastating effects that Wethor fears are lurking just around the corner, including difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, and cognitive decline. Brainstem gliomas are rare and more common in children than adults. Every year, there are roughly 300 cases in adults and 500 cases in children. It is the same cancer President Joe Biden's son Beau had. He was diagnosed in 2013 and died two years later. 'My doctors can't explain why I have survived,' she said. 'I still have my tumor, but miraculously, it has not grown.' There is no treatment for this form of cancer, leaving her wondering when her regular MRI scan will show that the tumor has grown and pressure on her brain has worsened. Doctors do not know what prompted the tumor to develop, how it might respond to treatment, what the best available treatments are, or whether it will come back if a patient reaches remission. Wethor's expectation-exceeding survival is nothing short of miraculous, given the tiny chance of survival given to her as a teen. She said: 'Because of the complexity of the brain stem, doctors aren't able to biopsy or do surgery on these tumors. 'This means that as soon as these tumors start growing, there isn't much that can be done to help the patient - especially because chemotherapy and radiation also have a slim chance of working.' Radiation's effect is often short-lived, chemotherapy often fails and there are no targeted therapies. When symptoms appear, such as double vision, slurred speech, and imbalance, the cancer has spread beyond help. 'The hope is that one day a trial or new treatment will emerge that can help tumors in this area of the brain,' she said. 'There have been some advancements but we still have a long way to go.' From the outside, she said, nobody would know she has a brain tumor. And while she still gets headaches and other symptoms, she has been able to find creative outlets. The cancer could worsen at any moment, but Wethor doesn't fear death. Social workers would ask her if she was afraid of dying, but she realized it was the wrong question. 'Really what I should have been asked was if I was afraid of living – living with this reality and wondering how long I and others could live under that stress and unknown,' she said. 'I try to live every day as an adventure, because no one is guaranteed any amount of time, brain tumor or no brain tumor, and this experience has made that impossible to ignore.'
New York Times
12 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
Holy Water Couldn't Save My Husband. MAHA Wouldn't Have Either.
On a sunny spring morning in 2006, while my husband, Mike, was showering, I secretly sprinkled his bath towel with holy water I had gotten from a friend who had used holy water from the same source on her husband. Her husband went on to survive his cancer, so I happily accepted the plastic container filled with water from a sacred site in Europe. It couldn't hurt, right? Watching Mike dry himself off, I tapped into my childhood Catholicism and faith in a benevolent God as I pictured the magic water covering him with a protective layer. I never told Mike I did this. And I still feel guilty that I did. Neither of us went to church; we were agnostics. He would have been very annoyed. He didn't believe in magic. But we were six months into multiple brain surgeries and complications stemming from what was described to us as a benign tumor that had nonetheless taken over his midbrain. Thanks to hours on the internet, I had tried to Nancy Drew my way to the cause of his tumor, which devolved into my dabbling in conspiracy theories, and now I was out of options. That was the last morning Mike would ever shower in our home. It was the last time he would see our 1-year-old boy wake up in his crib. When Mike received his craniopharyngioma diagnosis in October 2005, he was given a 95 percent survival rate at five years out, but he was dead nine months later. He spent many of those months hospitalized, undergoing radiation therapy, blind, with no short-term memory and unable to care for himself, enduring over a dozen brain surgeries and other procedures. I watched the disappearance of light from his eyes as this once brilliantly funny man looked up at me from his hospital bed each morning, kind but emotionally flat, unsure if I was arriving for the first time that day or if I was just returning from the bathroom. I have a picture in a small album that shows Mike in the hospital holding our son, looking down at him quizzically but unaffected, as though the baby were a strange rock or a loaf of bread. The doctors surely tired of my asking, 'When will he be back to normal?' and 'When will this be over?' There is nothing quite like feeling you have no agency to affect your circumstances. Up until then, my efficacy had always paid off. I got all A's, was editor of my public high school newspaper and landed a free ride to an Ivy League school for my Ph.D. Lots of agency. But I could not outorganize, outresearch, outcharm or outwork a tumor. So I turned to magic. It wasn't just the holy water. I started keeping a little heart-shaped healing stone in my pocket for luck and brought him fresh berries from home each day. I read about the anti-inflammatory properties of berries online, so I fed them to Mike and pictured the berries shrinking the golf-ball-size tumor in the middle of his head. I started praying again for the first time since middle school. You find yourself bargaining in those moments. 'I'll never ask for anything again if you just get Mike better.' Well, he didn't. So I guess I can keep asking God for things. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
News.com.au
a day ago
- General
- News.com.au
Meet Australia's most generous family ‘bringing light' into the lives of the nation's neediest
The Ottobre family has earned the title of Australia's most generous family, having given hundreds of thousands of dollars away to those in need. Tony and Lynn Ottobre started their donating journey in 2015 after losing their daughter Jenni to brain cancer in hopes of finding a light in the darkness and helping others through hardship. Since then, they have donated over $300,000 across dozens of GoFundMe fundraisers. 'It started years ago when our daughter passed away in 2015, she passed away from brain cancer, and we felt that affiliation with similar patients going through problems that our daughter went and of course their parents,' Mr Ottobre told 'I think that brought us a lot closer to being a bit more charitable than what we normally be. 'It's a terrible position to be in, so we thought that if we could help others in some way that would be good.' Mr Ottobre said most of the fundraisers the couple donate to are in support of brain tumour patients, but in April 2023, they decided to step up to help leading jockey Dean Holland's partner Lucy and his four young children after he died in a tragic racing accident. After failing to find a fundraiser in the hours after Mr Holland's death, the couple decided to take matters into their own hands and create a GoFundMe – raising almost $2m in the process. When asked about being titled Australia's most generous family Mr Ottobre simply responded: 'Well, it's probably better than being the opposite. 'I suppose it's something that you don't even think of, we're not even thinking about being generous other than trying to help people. 'We've worked extremely hard … that we're comfortable enough to donate and help where we can. If we're got some extra and when we can, we help.' Mr Ottobre joked the pair will continue to donate until they run out of money, adding they feel 'much better' after donating to a cause that resonates. 'Donating makes you feel better. It's as simple as that. 'I'm happy for everybody else who is doing something similar because I know the kick they're getting out of it, what they're doing to help other people.' It comes as new research revealed Victoria's – the state Mr and Mrs Ottobre call home – most generous profession are tradies. To celebrate it's tenth anniversary, GoFundMe has uncovered who are the most generous everyday Aussies. Victorian tradies donate an average of $732 per year – 56 per cent higher than other states and a whopping 80 per cent higher than the national average across the country. Why? Builder Cameron Londsdale believes the close-knit communities created on the worksite extend to others doing it tough. Mr Londsdale said tradies were 'fairly compassionate people' who tend to look out for each other and the wider community, especially for a cause that hits home. 'For my most recent donation it was to the drought for the farmers,' he told 'I actually lost my uncle to suicide and he was a wheat farmer, and I know it's not really relevant to the actual drought itself but I know how hard he used to struggle with certain things … trying to help when I can.' He began donating about five years ago, often supporting fundraisers to do with farmers and mental health, and called for others to do what they can. 'Any little bit that you can spare helps especially with those the (issues) I've mentioned, the farmers and mental health, they're such important issues and they're never going to go away,' Mr Londsdale said. 'If you can help, it's definitely worth it.' The data shows Aussies are generous no matter where they live and what they do for work. 'Victoria stands out with the most generous tradies compared with those in other states,' GoFundMe Regional Manager Nicola Britton told 'By contrast, in New South Wales, our most generous group comes from the healthcare sector. 'In South Australia, it's those working in finance and banking who give the most, and in Western Australia and Queensland, we see strong support from the education and public sector communities – each averaging around $650 in annual donations. 'Our research shows that Australian generosity extends to two degrees of separation – nearly 40 per cent of us would donate to a friend of a friend. 'We also see strong support for cases of stolen tools, and causes involving mental health, recovery after accidents, and support for the families of colleagues.' 'Aussies are quick to act when someone is in need.'
Sky News
a day ago
- Health
- Sky News
'Pioneering' new scanner used for brain tumour patients trialled in world-first
A "pioneering" new scanner derived from MRI technology could be used to track brain cancer spread and lead to improved treatment for patients, scientists have said. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian have been awarded £350,000 funding by the Scottish government to generate never-before-seen images of glioblastoma brain tumours. It is hoped the technology will improve treatment and quality of life for patients by investigating a new way to scan the tumours. Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive type of brain tumour with more than 3,000 new patients in the UK diagnosed each year. The University of Aberdeen said half of all patients die within 15 months of diagnosis even after extensive surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Field cycling imaging (FCI) is a new and specialist type of low-field MRI scan pioneered in Aberdeen and has already been found to be effective in detecting tumours in breast tissue and brain damage in stroke patients. It is hoped it can now be used to help brain tumour patients. Full body MRI scanners were invented at the Scottish university 50 years ago, but the FCI scanner is the only one of its type used on patients anywhere in the world. The FCI derives from MRI but can work at low and ultra-low magnetic fields, which means it is capable of seeing how organs are affected by diseases in ways that were previously not possible. It can also vary the strength of the magnetic field during the patient's scan - acting like multiple scanners and extracting more information about the tissues. The tech can detect tumours without having to inject dye into the body, which can be associated with kidney damage and allergic reactions in some patients. Those involved in the project will scan glioblastoma patients undergoing chemotherapy after surgery and chemoradiotherapy. It is hoped the research will establish that, unlike conventional MRI scans, FCI can tell the difference between tumour growth and progression, and "pseudo-progression" which looks like tumour but is not cancerous tissue, which could improve care and quality of life. The new tech was described as "another example of the pioneering work coming out of the University of Aberdeen", by the charity Friends of ANCHOR. Professor Anne Kiltie, who is leading the study, said: "If we can detect true tumour progression early, we can swap the patient to a potentially more beneficial type of chemotherapy. "Also, being able to verify that a patient has pseudo-progression will prevent effective chemotherapy being stopped too early, because it was thought that the tumour has progressed, thus worsening prognosis. "Providing certainty will also reduce anxiety for both patients and relatives and improve the quality of life of patients. "Importantly, having a reliable method to identify progressive disease will allow development and more precise evaluation of emerging potential treatments. This is of particular importance as patients currently have a limited choice of treatments for combating their cancer. Scotland and beyond."
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
New scanner could detect brain tumours in world-first
Scientists in Scotland have developed a pioneering new scanner aimed at improving treatment for glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive type of brain tumour. Field Cycling Imaging (FCI), a new technology derived from MRI, will be used by researchers at the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian after receiving £350,000 in funding from the Scottish Government. This unique scanner can track brain cancer spread by generating detailed images, working at low magnetic fields and detecting tumours without the need for injected dye. It is hoped FCI will differentiate between tumour growth and "pseudo-progression," allowing for more effective chemotherapy adjustments and preventing premature cessation of treatment. The technology aims to provide more accurate information for patients and clinicians, potentially improving quality of life, treatment effectiveness, and healthcare cost-effectiveness for glioblastoma patients.
