Hi Sarah,
We know each other through visiting each other’s sites. I have to enquire about your “brain tumor survivor” status. There must be some form of culture clash because that sounds strange to me, strange that you use that as a title or badge of recognition. At my age, 73, I know many people who have survived life threatening sicknesses, all sorts of cancers, stokes, diabetes and at least 3 brain tumor survivors besides yourself. But I know of no one, except yourself, who would list their survival as one of their merits. Or personality defining characteristic.
Many people are made happy because of your recovery. You have a large following of people who enjoy your photography and your poetry. Good for you! Good for them!
I was wondering about brain tumors. How frequent are they? Is that frequency growing or declining? Is there anything in your environment or food that could contain the cause of your tumor? Or the growth of tumors? Have you spoken to other survivors about possible similarities in habits or environment? From what I can gather, more and more people contract brain tumors. Such increases rules out heredity factors.
If you world like to speak about this, send me a mail: joel@bentarz.se.
I am by no means an authority on brain tumors, and I do not profess to be. I don’t feel that I use that as a “title” or “badge of recognition.” The reason for my putting it in my information is that I am contacted on a regular basis by people who have just been diagnosed with brain tumors and are completely overwhelmed (as I was). These are people I am happy to have private conversations with about the overwhelming process of diagnosis and treatment and odds of survival, as well as side effects of both brain tumors and brain surgery.
I was not expected to be doing this well. The five-year survival rate for my kind of tumor is 60%. The 10-year survival rate is 40%. It has a lower survival rate than breast cancer. For me, it has been nine years since diagnosis. I had a craniotomy which left me with lasting effects, but not as severe as those the neurosurgeons told me I might have, including a permanent feeding tube or breathing tube.
The next step for me is directed brain radiation (proton beam radiation). I have MRI’s every 3-6 months to indicate when the danger of radiating the tumor (pushing against my brain stem) outweighs the risk of the tumor itself. I have been warned that I will most likely finish this radiation with permanent disability.
I share this story to give people HOPE that a diagnosis of a brain tumor is not an automatic death sentence (as I thought it was 9 years ago) and to allow anyone, suffering with any challenge to know that there are others out there facing challenges, with up and downs, but that we can conquer the challenges set before us.
Talking to the Clouds 
Line against time – what a great line 🙂
thanks 🙂
Oh…how gorgeous this pairing of photo and words.
thanks so much, friend 🙂
Hi Sarah,
We know each other through visiting each other’s sites. I have to enquire about your “brain tumor survivor” status. There must be some form of culture clash because that sounds strange to me, strange that you use that as a title or badge of recognition. At my age, 73, I know many people who have survived life threatening sicknesses, all sorts of cancers, stokes, diabetes and at least 3 brain tumor survivors besides yourself. But I know of no one, except yourself, who would list their survival as one of their merits. Or personality defining characteristic.
Many people are made happy because of your recovery. You have a large following of people who enjoy your photography and your poetry. Good for you! Good for them!
I was wondering about brain tumors. How frequent are they? Is that frequency growing or declining? Is there anything in your environment or food that could contain the cause of your tumor? Or the growth of tumors? Have you spoken to other survivors about possible similarities in habits or environment? From what I can gather, more and more people contract brain tumors. Such increases rules out heredity factors.
If you world like to speak about this, send me a mail: joel@bentarz.se.
Yours
Joel
I am by no means an authority on brain tumors, and I do not profess to be. I don’t feel that I use that as a “title” or “badge of recognition.” The reason for my putting it in my information is that I am contacted on a regular basis by people who have just been diagnosed with brain tumors and are completely overwhelmed (as I was). These are people I am happy to have private conversations with about the overwhelming process of diagnosis and treatment and odds of survival, as well as side effects of both brain tumors and brain surgery.
I was not expected to be doing this well. The five-year survival rate for my kind of tumor is 60%. The 10-year survival rate is 40%. It has a lower survival rate than breast cancer. For me, it has been nine years since diagnosis. I had a craniotomy which left me with lasting effects, but not as severe as those the neurosurgeons told me I might have, including a permanent feeding tube or breathing tube.
The next step for me is directed brain radiation (proton beam radiation). I have MRI’s every 3-6 months to indicate when the danger of radiating the tumor (pushing against my brain stem) outweighs the risk of the tumor itself. I have been warned that I will most likely finish this radiation with permanent disability.
I share this story to give people HOPE that a diagnosis of a brain tumor is not an automatic death sentence (as I thought it was 9 years ago) and to allow anyone, suffering with any challenge to know that there are others out there facing challenges, with up and downs, but that we can conquer the challenges set before us.
Absolutely stunning!
Thank you!
beautiful!
Thank you!
Awwww beautiful photo! 🙂
thank you! I can still remember just how beautiful that sunset was!
I love sunsets and with amazing photos like this one, our experience can help warm other hearts! 🙂
I hope so 🙂