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Brain
Tumor
Support
Group
May
28, 2008 |
When
she was 42 years old
wife and mother Dona
Ross was diagnosed with
a brain tumor. “I had
to give up my
employment. The effect
on the whole family unit
was just huge.”
Throughout the last 30
years Mike McInnis has
battled three separate
brain tumors. He says,
“About 1978 I started
having seizures and I
went to the hospital.
I drive I do everything
I want to do you just
got to take the medicine
is all.” Dona realized
that people like herself
and Mike needed a local
support system. So she
decided to found a brain
tumor support group that
has been meeting once a
month for several
years. “It’s super. It
beats the heck out of
cyber space typing away
to people you’ve never
met. I wanted the face
time you know I wanted a
local group,” she says.
The local group is also
compromised of
caregivers like Michelle
Chase. Her husband
Patrick was diagnosed
with a brain tumor three
years ago. She says,
“They helped me because
for the first year I was
stubborn and I didn’t
want to admit that I
needed any extra help
and one night I kind of
lost it in support group
and they made me realize
that I realize I really
needed to talk to my
doctor and stop being so
trying to be tough.”
These caregivers and
survivors agree that the
group has helped them
get through tough times
by focusing on caring
and education. Dona
says, “Lee Memorial
provides us with
moderators, nurses
sometimes we have
speakers who are
physicians and
pharmacists and so
forth.” Michelle says
it’s been a good way to
share stories as well.
“It’s nice to know that
you’re not the only one
going through it that
you have somebody else
to share it with. You
just share all of the
information and take out
of it what you need to
help you.” Research
shows that there are
more than 120 different
types of brain tumors. |
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