Swedish Covenant Rehab Presentation on Tuesday, January 21st

I will be making a “patient-to-patient” presentation to Swedish Covenant Hospital’s Stroke club in Chicago from 1:30 to 2:30 PM on Tuesday, January 21^st.  Brain tumor victims are also welcome.

My presentation is entitled “Rehab FACTS” and is all about how to remain positive and tenacious during rehab. I give this presentation because I sense that everybody knows that they need to do their rehab, but few actually stick with it. So my presentation is more about developing a positive attitude, self discipline and trying to make rehab a bit of a game with, shock, maybe even a dash of fun thrown in.

Said differently, if you react better to a loud-mouth, red-faced drill sergeant, this isn't the class for you.

Leigh Cohen, who runs the group, does a terrific job of engaging folks and making everybody – victims and caregivers - feel welcome. The meeting will be held in the GLC Rehab-Bornhoeft Rehab room. If you’re coming for the first time, it’s located at 157 N. Francisco in Chicago. Here’s a link to their website for more info: http://swedishcovenant.org/events-classes/stroke-club-december

I hope to see you there.

John

PS – For further info call Leigh at 773-878-8200, ext. 3167. 

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_14822173_rehabilitation-concept.html'>tang90246 / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Born with GBM, Matthew Erickson just turned 2

Here’s a mostly sad* story that just wrenched my heart yesterday. The Chicago Tribune reported that Matthew Erickson, who was born with Glioblastoma, just turned 2. And, as the article by Tribune reporter Lisa Black noted, “It’s usually fatal.”

So what has this spunky kid been through in his first two years? “Six brain surgeries. Five rounds of chemotherapy. Thousands of blood draws.”

This just seems horribly unfair. Here’s a kid who probably knows the hospital better than he knows his Grandpa and Grandma’s house.

I am saddened, confused and full of questions about this: Why does this happen to small children? How are his parents ever going to be happy? Can he ever be normal?

The only thing I learned from this is that Matthew’s Mom, Sue, seems to be able to live in the present, the “this very moment” without being trapped by the ominous future.

Here’s a link to Black’s article and the Tribune’s video: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-baby-born-with-cancer-met-20140113,0,3005496.story

*The happy bit is Matthew himself and his smile, his current health, and how the community has adopted him.

Latest American Brain Tumor Association Meningioma Webinar- now posted

FYI – I just saw this posting on the ABTA website:

“We are excited to let our Connections members know that our most popular webinar on Meningioma is now posted at our Anytime Learning section of our website at: http://www.abta.org/understanding-brain-tumors/anytime-learning/

You may watch it at your convenience.

ABTA_Jillann

Connections Support Community Group Leader”

If you haven’t seen (and heard) an ABTA webinar, I have. I think they’re good and particularly helpful for those newly informed of a meningioma brain tumor and have the snot scared out of them.

John

Want to share your story?

One of my terrific therapists told me that a great way to get the trauma/concern/worry/etc. out of head was to write it down.

It was great advice.

While writing didn’t get all trauma/concern/worry/etc.out of my brain, it got a lot out. Sharing my writing with others was also a big help. I especially wanted to share my brain tumor story with other brain tumor victims. When I first started, though, I didn’t know how to do it, i.e. share my story.

The National Brain Tumor Society, though, makes it easy.  They’ve built a handy-dandy website that lets you write short stories about your experience and share it with other brain tumor victims, caretakers, etc. (Please note the italic I used for “short” – this site doesn’t support first drafts of lengthy novels). Here’s the link:  http://www.braintumor.org/join-the-fight/share-your-story/

While you’re there, read stories of others...and don’t feel so all alone.

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_14063335_share-your-story-phrase--isolated-text-in-vintage-letterpress-wood-type.html'>pixelsaway / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

“4 Essential (and Overlooked) Facts About Your Brain and Your Mind”

I just read another brain-focused Alvaro Fernandez (Sharp­Brains’ co-founder and Chief Executive Officer) article posted on The Creativity Post that I wanted to share with everybody. You can find it here: http://www.creativitypost.com/science/4_essential_and_overlooked_facts_about_your_brain_and_your_mind#sthash.ztc3o2Eu.dpuf

The four “essential (and overlooked) facts” he writes about are:

1. “Smart pills” simply don’t exist (drat)
2. Aging can bring (cognitive)decline...
3. … and also improve­ment.
4. “Cells that fire together wire together.”

Here’s the summary that I like: “our brains and minds are far from set in stone due to genet­ics or age. Grow­ing evi­dence sug­gests beyond a rea­son­able doubt that what we do at every sin­gle day has an impact on brain fit­ness that very same day and also later in life.”

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_17620970_humans-brain-with-gearwheel-inside-illustration-on-white-background-for-design.html'>dvarg / 123RF Stock Photo</a>