Hats for Hope

October has always been known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month; however another very worthy, yet less talked about cause is International Brain Tumour Awareness Week held from October 26th – November 2nd.  The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada was established in London, Ontario in 1982 by Steve Northey, who lost his eight-year-old daughter Kelly to a brain tumor, Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, a neurosurgeon, and Pamela Del Maestro, a neuroscience nurse, to help find the cause and cure while improving the quality of life of those affected.

According to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, the Brain Tumour Registry of Canada was launched in May 2019 to ensure that every brain tumor in Canada is counted. Until recently, Canada has relied on data from a number of American and Canadian data resources to guide Canadian research, raise awareness, secure government funding and provide support programs – data that is incomplete and not a true reflection of Canada’s brain tumor community.  “They are trying to get data from Saskatchewan and other provinces to provide a full picture of the numbers which we hope to have in 2020,” says Susan Marshall, the Chief Executive Officer of the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, “Up until this point, we haven't had good data on brain tumors in our country.”

The data from this registry, with a report from four provinces, representing 70% of the Canadian population has shown an estimated 55000 Canadians are surviving with a brain tumor and 27 Canadians are diagnosed with a brain tumor every day.  There are over 120 different types of brain tumors, which can affect vision, hearing, memory, balance, and mobility, making effective treatment very complicated.

Many people view a brain tumor as a very rare form of cancer however they are the leading cause of solid cancer death in children under the age of 20, now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia. They are the third leading cause of solid cancer death in young adults ages 20-39.  There is no cure. 

The Brain Tumour Foundation with support from donors, corporations and community foundations states the estimated 55,000 Canadians living with a brain tumor can find hope. One of their slogans is “Hope through research. Hope through patient and survivor support. Hope for a cure. '' In order to raise awareness and funds for research, they are hosting their second annual ‘Hats for Hope’ campaign on October 24th and encourage all Canadians to “Get their toque on!” by taking a selfie or group shot with their toque on, share it on social media using #HatsforHope and to tag @BrainTumourFDN so they can see your hats, add them to their site and share them on their social media channels.

You can wear your own toque or purchase a ‘Hats for Hope’ toque from their website at www.hatsforhopecanada.ca with all funds going towards research into brain tumors and supporting those currently living with this condition.



Written by:  Bobbi - Lynne McGarry