Share Your Story
Your story is powerful and can help raise awareness and support for others facing similar challenges. By sharing your experience, you bring hope to others and show them that they are not alone.
Story submissions should be fewer than 1,000 words. We encourage you to focus on how having a brain tumor has impacted your life or what you want others to understand about brain tumors. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.
Patient & Caregiver Stories
Story Submissions Disclaimer
The stories featured on this page are submitted by patients, caregivers, and families who have chosen to share their personal experiences. These stories reflect the individual perspectives and opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA).
The ABTA does not independently verify the details of these stories and cannot guarantee their accuracy or completeness. The information shared in these stories should not be considered as medical advice or a substitute for professional consultation with qualified healthcare providers.
By reading or submitting content to this page, you acknowledge and agree that the ABTA is not responsible for any decisions or actions taken based on the information provided in these stories.
If you have concerns about any content on this page, please contact us at [email protected]
Edward Weizer’s Story: Anne Marie’s Message to Never Give Up Hope
For Edward “Ed” Weizer, the words “Never give up hope” carry a special meaning. They are the words his late wife, Anne Marie, lived by throughout her experience with brain […]
Read MoreAdam Campbell’s Story: One Step At a Time, My Journey With a Recurring Astrocytoma brain tumor
Adam Campbell was only nine years old when doctors discovered an astrocytoma in his brain. More than three decades later, after recurrences, radiation treatments and years of physical and emotional […]
Read MoreEvangeline Fabia’s Story: Keep Seeking Answers
For most of her life, Evangeline Fabia had no idea she was living with a rare condition in her brain. There were no obvious warning signs. No symptoms that made […]
Read MoreAndreina Molano’s Story: Trusting Herself and Finding Her Way Back
Andreina Molano’s brain tumor story began in a way she never could have anticipated: with an overwhelming feeling that something was terribly wrong. One night, while driving home from a […]
Read MoreElena Mosjova’s Story: Turning Gratitude Into Giving Back
When Elena Mosjova was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016, she began a journey that would ultimately inspire her to help others and support medical research. Today, nearly a […]
Read MoreBashiri Gooden’s Story: Finding Hope in Life After a Brain Tumor
For Bashiri Gooden, the day everything changed began with a migraine that felt different. Bashiri had been experiencing headaches for some time—the kind that are easy to attribute to stress, […]
Read MoreAshli Anderson’s Story: A Second Chance to Focus on What Matters
At 37 years old and with three children at home, Ashli Anderson never expected to find herself preparing her family for a future without her. But after being diagnosed with […]
Read MoreTammy Corey’s Story: Staying Positive Through a Glioblastoma Diagnosis
After five days of a severe migraine and being unable to keep anything down, Tammy Corey knew something wasn’t right. Her primary care provider recommended that she go to the […]
Read MoreJohn Rowe’s Story: Facing a Recurrent Meningioma
John Rowe had no headaches, neurological changes or other warning signs that something might be wrong. Then, during an ordinary Saturday walk, everything changed. “I guess my blackout, while not […]
Read MoreBrent Burgesser’s Story: Living Proof of Hope
“They told my parents I wouldn’t make it to Christmas,” Brent Burgesser recalls. “Today, I’m cancer-free—living proof that miracles happen.” For Brent, what began as a routine business trip quickly […]
Read MoreProcessing Our Brain Cancer Journey Through Song
Juliann before her biopsy in 2019 Juliann and her sister-in-law, Karli, who joined in shaving her head in solidarity and support A recent photo of Scott and his family on
The Will to Defeat GBM
By: Dan Zappa, Glioblastoma Survivor There is no routine for a military family! Our young family was making plans for a return to “normal life” when I came home from

Not Misery, But a Mission
My name is Chris and I am 44 years old. As of May 2022, I will also be a 44-year survivor of a brain tumor. Yes, I had my tumor