As I march into Awareness Month this May as a mother of a brain tumor survivor and an advocate for all pediatric survivors and their parent-caregivers, I have come to the realization that I am simply not feeling it this year. I am at a low in this journey. I will refer to it as battle weary.
In just a few short weeks, Sydni Gajewski of Pottstown, PA, will be graduating college. And, while graduating college is a an amazing achievement for any person, for Sydni, this accomplishment is even more sweet given the challenges she faces daily from a diagnosis and removal of a brain tumor at age 6.
Meet Molly Brenner, 19, from Kansas, who will be receiving a handheld blood analyzer to help manage her diabetes insipidus making her our third recipient. Molly was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma brain tumor in 2012 on her at age 14 on her fourth day of high school. Her tumor was removed via a craniotomy at Childrens Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. Molly suffers from diabetes insipidus (DI), hypothalamic obesity (HO), adrenal insufficiency (AI) and is visually impaired. Recently, she was diagnosed with pulmonary vasculitis. Unfortunately, the parts of the brain impacted by this tumor treatment control the overall health of the rest of the body which can leave patients like Molly susceptible to other diseases.
Sterling, VA — Countryside Elementary School fifth grader Michael “Mikey” O’Connell was selected by the Raymond A. Wood Foundation (RAWF) to receive a handheld blood analyzer, a hospital-grade device that is critical to managing a chronic condition called diabetes insipidus (DI). O’Connell suffers from this condition as a result of removal of a craniopharyngioma, which is a benign brain tumor that affects the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
Ocean City, MD — Survivors of craniopharyngioma, a rare and complex benign brain tumor, and their families joined together for the inaugural East Coast Cranio Survivors Picnic at Northside Park in Ocean City on Saturday. The group also included spouses, parents, siblings and grandparents, who provide support to each other on Facebook as part of a group page specific to the tumor. The picnic was organized in part by the Raymond A. Wood Foundation (RAWF), whose mission is to provide quality-of-life support for survivors of childhood brain tumors and their families.
Washington, D.C. — Amy Wood, director of the Raymond A. Wood Foundation, joined the Maryland contingency to “Head to the Hill” Tuesday with the National Brain Tumor Society to advocate for legislation to fund brain tumor research. Wood is mother to Alex, a 6-year-old brain tumor survivor and kindergartner at Ocean City Elementary School.
