Astrocytoma survivor: Why I joined a targeted therapy clinical trial at UT MD Anderson
Until Groundhog Day 2018, I’d been living a healthy and normal life in Austin with my wife, Amy, and our two young children. Then one day, I woke up with a really bad headache and wound up in the emergency room with suspected meningitis. A few days later, I learned the true culprit: a type of brain tumor called astrocytoma. That diagnosis turned my whole world upside-down.
I chose UT MD Anderson for my astrocytoma treatment...
What to expect after brain surgery: Patients and a neurosurgeon share insights
Are some side effects common to everyone after brain surgery? For instance, can you expect to experience some combination of memory lapses...
Glioblastoma caregiver: Why I support neuroscience research at UT MD Anderson
When my late husband, James Broach, was diagnosed with a type of brain tumor called astrocytoma in 2010, it came as a huge shock. He was only...
Astrocytoma survivor gives back to MD Anderson
Jim Bartlett, now 57, was a self-described workaholic before his brain tumor diagnosis in 2022.
“I’ve been practicing for almost 29 years. Before my diagnosis, I would work six, seven days a week; that was normal to me,” says the Houston-area trial lawyer and commercial litigator.
Jim started having some unusual symptoms in April 2022: his right leg would move involuntarily. He blamed it on exhaustion and stress...
Music to a mother’s ears: Awake craniotomies bring musicians together
Witnessing her adult son, Adrian, suffer a severe seizure at their home in the Rio Grande Valley during the spring of 2022 was nerve-wracking...
‘How I knew I had a brain tumor’: 4 survivors share their symptoms
Headaches and seizures are common brain tumor symptoms. But they can also be caused by other medical conditions.
So, how can you tell...
Guitarist’s awake craniotomy video strikes a chord with drummer facing similar diagnosis
When Adrian Rivas needed brain surgery, his doctors suggested he not only be awake in the middle of his procedure but that he also play the...
Young adult astrocytoma survivor grateful for MD Anderson's expertise
“Other doctors felt they could not operate,” says Sean O’Brien, an astrocytoma survivor. But MD Anderson neurosurgeon Frederick Lang, M.D....
What is astrocytoma, and how is it different from glioblastoma?
Astrocytoma and glioblastoma are two types of brain tumors. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) changed how these tumors are classified...
Brain tumor survivor thanks MD Anderson for second chance at life
On Oct. 29, 2022, David Irwin woke up in a hospital, groggy and confused. It was his 39th birthday, but it was clear this was no celebration...