Our priority at this time is continuing to scale our support for everyone affected by a brain tumour diagnosis – those with the diagnosis and their carer, family and loved ones, whether it’s a low grade tumour or a high grade tumour.
We’ve seen a 50% increase in your incoming requests to our one-to-one support, with almost 60% of enquiries being Coronavirus-related.
You’ve asked us for help with: understanding and accepting changes to my treatment; assessing my vulnerability and what isolating measures to take; thinking about treatment choices if I did get Coronavirus; and, coping practically and psychologically with extended isolation.
Professor Keyoumars Ashkan, Lead Neurosurgeon at King’s College London said: ”One thing we do need to do is to reassure everyone that the doctors, the nurses, the NHS, is doing everything it can to deliver the best and safest treatments possible. We are not forgetting our patients with brain tumours.”
We have also produced expert videos available on our website which answer some of these questions from our community and we have replaced face to face events with digital support events for parents, young adults and carers.
We have also coordinated support and managed spikes in demand by creating a comprehensive Coronavirus hub on the website which had 53,000 users and 5,200 video views in the last 13 weeks, the extent of the UK-wide lockdown.
Alongside this, we have responded by coordinating with other organisations such as the International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA), OneCancerVoice, Macmillan and CRUK which is vital if we are to meet the growing needs of those with cancer.
We will continue to support and enable change for everyone affected by a brain tumour diagnosis.
No-one in our community is facing this alone.
Coronavirus updates
Get the latest health advice around coronavirus COVID-19 and how you might be affected
Treatment changes
How coronavirus is affecting brain tumour treatments and advice on how to cope
Benefits and employment advice
Our experienced benefits advisor explains how your finances could be affected.